


Awakening of the Blinding One

by Suwako20



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2020-12-27 00:24:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 132,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21109658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suwako20/pseuds/Suwako20
Summary: Legends tell of a blinding being of incredible power, and how it will one day come to destroy the world. The signs are already showing, pokemon are turning to stone, alien monsters are invading the world... and it all seems to have something to do with me.





	1. Chapter 1

The first thing I felt was pain. Slowly drifting back into consciousness, I groaned and shifted to grasp at my head. It throbbed painfully, and when I tried to open my eyes, I was blinded by a bright light. Hissing, I shut my eyes again.

I blinked my eyes open, testing them. My vision swam dizzily, and my hands were so cold that I couldn't even feel it when I pressed them into the snow beneath me. My headache had distracted me from the intense cold that was wrapped around my body. It surrounded me like a blanket of ice. Still, I somehow managed to push myself up into a seated position. I peered around for a moment, wondering where I was and how in the world I got there.

I was surrounded by snow-covered pinetrees, and snow gently drifted down from the white sky. I was grateful that the chill numbed the ache in my head, but the rest of my body was not nearly as happy. I wrapped my arms around myself to try and block out the cold, but it didn't help much. My teeth were already chattering and my hands were numb.

Since when was it winter?

The trees looked huge, much larger than I was used to. I must've been out in the middle of nowhere... maybe I was on a mountain? I couldn't remember a thing of how I got here. I feared I would freeze if I stayed here too long. At least the place seemed quiet, and non-threatening- even though I had no idea how to get home.

To my right, I heard the shifting of leaves. A twig snapped loudly. I jumped with a yelp and turned towards the sound, the movement making my head spin.

Well... it used to be non-threatening.

"W-who's there?!" I called, grasping at my head to steady my thoughts. If I was going to need to run, my head would need to let me walk straight first.

As if in response to my words, a small face poked itself out of the bushes. It seemed to be a white fox, with large, vibrant blue eyes. For a moment I was mesmerised by its eyes- I had never seen anything like it. I stared at it in awe as it stepped out of the bushes, sniffing at me curiously. Its fur seemed to shimmer like fresh snow, making it blend into the icy wilderness.

While I was out of my element, this graceful creature was definitely meant to be here.

I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly my headache stung at me and I gasped instead, keeling over and grapsing at my head. I could barely think through the pain, but one thought still managed to come to the forefront of my mind. Why was this happening to me?

Something cold gently pressed against my arm. I could barely feel it- the rest of me was already frozen- but the soft movement managed to distract me from my pain. I unclenched my teeth and blinked my eyes open. My headache disappeared in an instant as I reeled back in surprise, realizing with a start that the fox had approached me. It had placed its paw on me as if trying to comfort me.

But that wasn't what shocked me. The fox was definitely not small like I originally thought.

It was the same size as me!

My fear made it hastily back away, a wary look crossing its face. It stood before me with its paw lifted awkwardly, not knowing where to put it anymore. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you!" It said with a soft, feminine voice.

Huh..?

With my fear abandoned just as quickly as it appeared, I blinked at her curiously. Did she just... speak?

My silence prompted her to speak again, "how did you get here? This is much too high a climate for a pokemon like you. Did something happen?" She frowned worriedly.

My head spun for more reasons than just my headache. How could an animal be talking? Did she mention... Pokemon?

Was I crazy? Was I hallucinating? Did people hallucinate when they were about to freeze to death? I never really looked into it before, I didn't think I'd ever be in a situation like this. Oh god, I was dying wasn't I?

For the first time I noticed her tail. Or should I say- tails. Six sparkling, white tails waved around behind her, and as she tilted her head in concern I noticed the cute little bangs that sat atop her head. She wasn't a fox at all: she was an alolan Vulpix! But... how was that possible?

I was definitely crazy.

My blank, uneasy silence made the Vulpix clear her throat nervously. "Hey... did you hear me? Can you understand me?"

I debated the merits of talking to my own hallucinations. I nodded hesitantly, ignoring the wave of dizziness the movement brought. She calmed visibly. "Oh, thank goodness," she sighed in relief, "look, we need to get you out of here before you freeze. I can bring you down the mountain if you're lost?" She smiled at me kindly, clearly aware of my unease and trying to make me calm down.

I decided to open my mouth this time. Finding my voice was surprisingly difficult, but I managed to choke out a few words. "Wh-what... a-are you?" My voice stuttered along with my frozen, chattering teeth.

The Vulpix tilted her head, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "I'm... I'm a Vulpix. A pokemon- just like you. Are you... uhm, is something wrong?"

I blinked incredulously. Me? A Pokemon? I opened my mouth to tell her I was human, but her words promted me to finally take a glance at my body. My words caught in my throat. I turned my hands over in awe- or should I say- my paws. I had fuzzy brown arms.... and a round little body. No wonder everything had looked so large ever since I got here, no wonder it was so cold. I had no clothes, and I was tiny- I was... a Chespin.

I looked just like a Chespin.

I gaped at myself, and for a moment I thought I'd faint. How? How had this happened?

Was this for real?

"I'm... sorry." A voice made me jump out of my stupor. The Vulpix eyed me with a different kind of concern this time. She was definitely thinking there was something wrong with my head. Well, thats something we had in common.

She tilted her head uncomfortably. "I don't... understand. Is there... something wrong with you? Do I need to get help?"

I shook my head, wanting it to stop spinning for a second. "Oh, th-there's definitely s-something wrong with me. I've turned into a Chespin and I'm halucinating f-f-fictional pokemon that c-can talk."

The Vulpix reared back indignantly. "Halucinating? Fictional? I definitely exist! I'm standing right here in front of you!" She insisted, a little miffed.

I only stared back at her doubtfully. She sighed and looked away in thought, trying to wave away her irritation.

"You said... that you turned into a Chespin? What pokemon did you used to be?" She asked, and she seemed genuinely compassionate.

I shook my head again. "I wasn't a p-pokemon. I w-was a human."

She frowned uncomfortably, her concern about my mental health returning. "That's... I've never heard of a 'human' before. Maybe we need to get you out of the cold, you're already losing your mind."

Before I could insist about my identity, she stepped up to me and helped me climb to my feet. "C'mon. You need a doctor. There's one nearby."

"W-well, I..." I tried to say, but I honestly couldn't argue against that. Once I was warm, maybe everything would start making sense again... "O-okay." I stuttered instead.

Walking took some getting used to, but the Vulpix was patient with me. Eventually I managed to get my weird, frozen body to move, and we made our way down the mountain.


	2. Chapter 2

As the Vulpix lead me down the mountain-side I found myself looking around, trying to ignore the chill in my bones. Looking over the incline of the mountain, I could barely see any landscape beneath all the snowy fog. But from what I could see, I could hardly believe it. Everything seemed so much bigger now... I was so small a hollow log looked like a good place to hide.

It made me feel so small... and vulnerable...

I could only hope the Vulpix could get me some real help. I wasn't sure I could handle being this small forever.

After climbing (or in my case, stumbling) down the gentle slope of the mountain for a while, we reached a solitary building that was built into the side of the mountain. The Vulpix smiled encouragingly at me. "Here we are! We can get you some help here." I tilted my head at it uneasily.

It seemed surprisingly regular-sized to me, at least compared to everything else. Considering how small I was now, it was probably more like a building made for children. Its red roof was covered in snow, to the point where it almost seemed to be a part of the landscape. Its white walls made it blend in with the suroundings so well I wondered if that was the intention. One wouldn't see it unless they were right in front of it.

Climbing down to it, I grasped onto the Vulpix's back to keep my balance. We had to walk around to its opposite side, finding the rounded red door sidled up against the side of the mountain. Despite this places isolated location, it seemed cozy enough. It would be better than staying out in the cold any longer, that was for sure.

The Vulpix raised a paw and lightly scratched at the door- her form of knocking, I assimed.

Silence stretched on for a long moment, the air still and empty. The Vulpix coughed awkwardly. "She much be busy..." She raised her paw to scratch the door again, but it flung open the moment she was about to touch it. "Alola!" A cutesy voice rung out loudly.

Startled, the Vulpix stumbled back with a gasp, "ah!" and I fell back with her, as i had been holding onto her for balance. The figure in the doorway tilted her head curiously. "Can I... help you?" She asked awkwardly, clearly not very used to answering the door.

I blinked at her in awe. It was another pokemon; a Happiny. She was even smaller than me, and as she frowned up at us, I couldn't help but gape back at her. "Is this for real? Why are there so many pokemon around here...?" I breathed, barely speaking above a whisper.

The Happiny raised an eyebrow at me and glanced at the Vulpix, who had managed to collected herself. The Vulpix cleared her throat and lowered her head to be more equal with the small pokemon. "Uh, Alola, little one. Is your mother working today? We need to get this one into someplace warm, he's very confused and sick from the cold."

The Happiny nodded very seriously as she listened to Vulpix's words. When the Vulpix finished, She immediately lit up as if all her seriousness had never happened. "Well come in, then!" She chirped, throwing her little arms into the air and stepping to the side so we could enter. Despite myself, I bit back a small grin, charmed by her cute behaviour. Even when I felt so grim, it was nice to meet someone so unquestionably friendly.

"Thank you," Vulpix sighed in relief, bringing the two of us into the room and Happiny shut the door behind us. "Now, where-" the Vulpix started, but was interrupted by Happiny jumping up to us and lifting me into her tiny little arms.

"Waah-!" I yelped, scrambling to keep my balance in her grip. Her body was already smaller than I was tall, and her arms could barely grip me. I practically climbed onto her face, trying not to fall and hit my already aching head.

Vulpix was inclined to protest, "Um! I don't think that's-!" But her words were lost as Happiny took off in a run, moving much faster than my spinning head could handle. I could barely see where she was taking me, blinded by my dizziness. I could vaguely hear her humming excitedly from under my grasp. How could she see where she was going...?

When we came to a stop, I managed to calm my headache for long enough to look around. I blinked my wide watery eyes around at the room. It seemed to be a makeshift check-up room, looking much more like a moderated guest room than a professional hospital. Still, it had a hospital bed, a checkup table, an IV and many other equipment I didn't know the names of; so I was at least relatively confident that I was in good hands.

Speaking of the checkup table, a small frog pokemon sat upon it, getting its leg checked by a much larger pokemon. The doctor- as I assumed she was- was almost three times my size. She resembled Happiny- so she must've been a Blissey. I didn't ever anticipate that a Blissey could look so intimidating, but when I was so much smaller, I felt like she could squash me easily.

Her voice muffled from under my fur, Happiny sang happily, "Mommy! Mommy! This pokemon is sick, please help him!" She hopped up and down to get her mothers attention, managing to do nothing but make me queasy. "Please stooop..." I mewled weakly.

Beyond turning her head and saying, "Happiny! put that poor Chespin down!" Blissey ignored her daughters antic. She turned back to the Froakie sitting on her checkup table and handed him two tiny little crutches. "There you go. Next time you think of going skiing, I suggest someplace more... regulated. You were lucky to only get a bad sprain this time, but who knows what could've happened to you!"

The Froakie waved her off casually, "I know, I know. I'll be smarter next time, I promise!" From his tone, I doubted he would.

I climbed down off Happiny at the same time the Froakie was helped down to the floor. I plopped down into a seated position, sighing in relief. Finally, a warm place for me to sit and not need to move at all.

As the Froakie slowly walked on his crutches passed me, we glanced at each other. He tilted his head, but didnt say anything. I watched as he left, absently wondering if there was something about me that made him look at me so curiously. Did I look crazy?

From behind me, Blissey sighed. "Let me see what we have here, huh?" When I turned to looked, I realized she had stepped up to me. My ears folded back against my head in a brief moment of fear- shes huge- but she seemed not to notice, bending down and gently lifting me onto her checkup table. I happily laid back and stared up at the warmly lit ceiling. It was much easier to look at than the blinding snow.

As the Blissey took my temperature and checked my body for injuries, I absently heard the Vulpix enter the room, her movements hesitant and unsure. "Oh! There you are." She sighed with relief. I found myself paying closer attention to her words than those of the doctor. She spoke softly to Happiny, and I tried my hardest to listen in. Blissey suddenly gasped, overtaking the sound of their conversation.

"Oh my stars! You have a horrible wound on your head!" She said, blinking in surprise. "That must hurt terribly!"

I groaned. "It does."

She tisked, almost as if disappointed in me. "Its a skull fracture. Fortunately, its not very deep, so it should heal just fine, no permanent damage done!" Her serious voice slipped into a happy singsong by the end. "It seems you have a bit of a bad concussion and a fever, so it'd be best if you stayed here for a few days."

I nodded, regretting the movement immediately. "Uhg... okay..."

Blissey wordlessly began searching her desk for supplies, preparing to clean and fix my injury. The room was silent, Happiny and Vulpix watching sliently. I shifted uncomfortably. In the usual context, I really didn't like being around doctors. While getting medical help was much preferable to going without, I still couldn't help but feel unease as Blissey collected her equipment. I'd much prefer to think about what the Vulpix and Happiny were talking about. I distracted myself by wondering what I had missed of their conversation...

"Alright, lets get that injury fixed up!" Blissey sang cheerfully.

Happiny leapt to attention, turning to Vulpix. "Time to go! Gotta work!" She puffed herself out seriously. Vulpix laughed lightly and nodded. "Okay." She smiled hesitantly at me, "I'll come back when you're done."

As she disappeared out the door, Happiny stepped up beside her mother, ready to help if needed. Blissey placed her tools on a tray beside the checkup table and turned to me. She gently started to clean my head, speaking gently to divert my attention away.

"So... how did you get this big ol' bump?" She asked lightly, but a part of me still felt chastised, as if she was my mother and was sick of my antics. I avoided her eyes, staring into the ceiling instead. "I... don't know. I just... woke up like this. I was in the middle of the forest and i have no idea how- ouch!" I wailed, my head stinging at me suddenly, making me flinch. Blissey jumped away, "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't think it'd be so tender..."

The pain faded back to its usual chronic ache. I sighed and she hesitantly got back to work. Blissey cleared her throat. "So you don't remember, huh?"

I nodded as subtly as possible.

"I see... It's likely that its your head injury is causing your amnesia." Blissey said softly. "I'm sure you'll get your memories back- I've had other amnesiac patients regain their lost memories. It could take a while, though." As she spoke, she began binding the wound. I'd be out of here sooner than I initially thought.

Still, I didn't feel like this exactly... fixed everything. Now that I thought about it, there was more I couldn't remember than just what happened to me. I couldn't remember my past friends, or family, or anything. I suddenly became lost in my thoughts, struggling to find something I could remember. How had I not noticed before?

"I- I still remember... my name." I mumbled weakly. "And- and that I was human. But I don't... I don't remember anything else... and I-" I cut myself off with a gasp of pain, flinching as my headache stung at me again. Blissey finished wrapping my head and moved away with a frown.

"Human?" She asked. "I'm afraid I don't know what that means... I've never heard of anything like that."

I sighed, sitting up slowly and hanging my feet over the edge of the table. "I was afraid you'd say that..." I mumbled, hunching over tiredly. I was really in over my head, wasn't I? What was I supposed to do? How was I going to get home if I didn't know where it was? How was I going to get back to being human again?

Blissey patted my back gently, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Still, it was very nice to meet you." She said gently, a warm smile on her face. I attempted a small smile in return to be polite, but I wasn't sure it worked.

Moving away from me for a moment, Blissey began wordlessly cleaning up. She turned to Happiny, who was silent through the entire exchange. "Please let our guest back in, sweetie." Happiny nodded happily, "yes sir!" she sang, clearly waiting the entire time to get an order from her mother. She rushed out of the room and immediately the Vulpix returned.

"How is he?" She asked with a soft, concerned smile. Blissey stepped up to me and placed a comforting hand on my back. "He's in good shape. He'll be good as new in a few days." She smiled at me brightly, but I could only stare blankly back. Vulpix seemed a bit skeptical. "So... there's nothing wrong with his head?"

Blissey shook her head. "Nope! The fracture wasn't nearly serious enough to hurt his brain." Her happy disposition faded a little. "Well, I suppose he does have a concussion and some nasty amnesia..." Vulpix tilted her head. "Are you sure thats all? He said he was... hallucinating."

Blissey hummed thoughtfully, turning to me. "Really?" I nodded hesitantly, but I was starting to think this was all too real. None of them had even heard of humans... and this all seemed to really be happening.

Blissey nodded to herself. "Well, concussions can occasionally cause hallucinations..." She shook her head. "But your injury is not nearly severe enough. I think you're just confused from all the excitement. If the problem persists, though, we can worry about it. But for now, I'm more concerned about your amnesia."

I blinked in surprise. Vulpix seemed content with her deduction, and hummed with interest. "How much did you forget?" She asked curiously.

I eyed them doubtfully. Blissey grinned, not detered by my silence. She shifted, lifting me into her arms and placing me softly onto the floor. The Vulpix stepped up to me, smiling sadly.

"I'm sorry if I was rude to you." She said with a small bow. "Can you tell us everything you remember?" I didn't respond for a long moment, staring back at her blankly. Blissey sat down next to us, but she still towered over us. I wondered whether answering would maked them reconsider their deduction that I was sane. Talking about humans some more would only confuse them.

Still, I decided to slowly nod. Vulpix lit up, which encouraged me more than I expected it to. "Well..." I hesitated. "My name is Moss, and I... before all this, I wasn't a Chespin."

Blissey gasped, shocked at the revelation, but Vulpix frowned with a different realization. "I can't believe I never asked your name..." She mumbled softly. "I'm... I'm Snowflake." She said, lifting a paw as if to shake. I hesitated, but reached out and gripped it. She shook it twice and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Moss." I could see a resolve forming in her eyes. I attempted a smile for the second time, and this time I think it worked. "You too."

Blissey mused as I let go of Snowflakes paw. "What pokemon did you used to be, Moss?" She asked, intrigued.

I opened my mouth to respond, but I paused. "Ah-... I don't remember." I mumbled weakly. Snowflake frowned, but said nothing.

Blissey tisked. "What a shame..." She stood, walking away from us. "Happiny!" She called, and the small baby pokemon arrived in mere seconds. "Yes mommy?" She squeaked. Had she been listening in?

"You'll take them to their room now, won't you dear?" Blissey asked. Happiny jumped energetically, "yes sir, mama!"

Immediately she came running at me, and I cringed, ready for her to pick me up again. Before she could, Snowflake cleared her throat pointedly. Happiny stopped, standing right before me. "Oh! Right! No carrying the dizzy guy!" Happiny said, nodding at her seriously.

Instead of picking me up, she grabbed my paws and pulled me to my feet. I felt a wave of dizziness upon standing, but I managed to gain my balance. Happiny slowly walked me out of the room, and Snowflake followed with a bright smile on her face. Before she left, she turned back to Blissey and nodded thankfully. "Thank you for your help." She said.

Blissey nodded back. "It's what I do!" She sang, and with that, we were off.

Being able to actually see the contents of the house this time was appreciated. I was surprised at how homey and warm it was, with carpets and a warm fireplace flickering in the living room as we passed. A few bandaged pokemon were sitting in front of the fire to stay warm, including the Froakie from earlier. I made eye contact with him for a moment but quickly looked away again.

We reached a hallway with several guest rooms, most of which had 'do not dusturb' signs hung on the doorknobs. We approached one that was bare, and Happiny opened the door with a flourish. "Here ya go!" She sang, her loud voice making my headache sting. The room was relatively small, with a small circular window looking out over the mountain view, which let in the only light. It had two hay beds, and a counter for pokemon to put their stuff. Why would anyone want to sleep on hay...?

Happiny carefully helped me down into one of the two hay beds. "Come get me or mommy if you need anything else!" Happiny announced with a twirl, before turning and rushing out of the room.

Snowflake shut the door and silently walked up to me. She sighed, sitting down on my bed next to me. "How are you feeling?" She asked worriedly.

I looked down at my feet, avoiding her bright blue eyes. "I'm fine... I think." I struggled to put all my feelings into words. I felt alone... and lost... and I couldn't remember the life I left behind. Choking back my inner conflict, I forced myself to speak. "My headache is getting better already. I think I'll... I'll be fine, soon."

Snowflake remained silent, looking over me with a thoughtful look in her eye. I pried my eyes away from the floor and peered back at her. "I wouldn't be fine, though, if you hadn't helped me. So... thank you..." I said meekly.

She smiled brightly, and my anxiety faded considerably. "Hey... since you don't really remember anything... do you know where you live?" I shook my head. She hummed. "I wish you could come stay with me, but it isn't a good place for you." Snowflake looked away, still trying to figure out a solution. "I guess... when the doctor lets you out, we'll climb down the mountain and find you a place to stay."

She turned to me, "Is that okay?"

I blinked at her, a bit lost for words. I supposed that, for the time being, it'd be best if I found a place to stay; at leasy until until my memory returned. After all, Blissey said they'd come back. Surely they would... eventually...

"Yeah. Sure thing." I said, nodding at Snowflake with fake confidence. She smiled softly, and we sat together in easy silence for a while.

"Well, we should get some rest, huh?" Snowflake said, shifting onto her feet and walking over to her own bed, sitting on it and facing me. "You need your sleep if your going to recover, after all."

As if on que, I yawned. She giggled. I frowned jokingly at my perfectly timed yawn, making her laugh again. Feelng a bit lighter, I sighed and plopped down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling again. "Fine, I'll go to bed." I said with a joke frown. Snowflake breathed in amusement at that, lying down herself.

I felt a small smile drift onto my face. A part of me felt that I used to make jokes very often. I felt much more in my element, now that I could relax for a moment. Even in this weird- so very weird- situation, I could still try and be myself.

"...Uhm, one last thing," I forced myself to say, my voice loud in the silence that had stretched over us. I heard Snowflake hum in response. "Snowflake is a very pretty name. It... suits you."

I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. "Thank you, Moss. I... I will be here for you, when you wake up."

I smiled, my eyes drifting shut. With my headache forgotten, I slept well that night.


	3. Chapter 3

"Moss..."

"Moss..."

"Can you hear me?"

A voice called out to me, rousing me from my comfortable, mindless slumber. My consciousness faded in slowly, and I found myself surrounded by nothingness. Looking around, I still wasn't quite aware enough to comprehend what was going on.

"Where am I?" I asked into the nothingness. My voice echoed around me, as if I was in a large empty room. I couldn't see or feel anything, but for some reason I was unbothered by this.

The darkness didn't respond to my call for a long moment. I started to fade away, my shaky consciousness threatening to fall back asleep; but from somewhere I couldn't pinpoint, that same voice sighed in relief.

"Thank the stars, you're alive!" The voice said, echoing from all directions. The voice was feminine and youthful, but definitely not childish. I could sense a sturdy intelligence behind those words. "Listen, Moss, I'm talking to you through your dreams."

I breathed in realization. This was a dream... Suddenly I felt wide awake, and I somehow knew that even though this was a dream- it was also very real.

"I don't have long. Those beasts that separated us have been following my trail and could catch me at any time. Where are you? Are you somewhere safe?" The voice asked, suddenly speaking much faster. My mind spun, struggling to keep up with everything she was saying.

This person was talking like they knew me? Her voice held a familiarity for me I couldn’t ignore. She seemed almost… comforted by my presence?

"Who are you?" I asked, ignoring her questions. I wasn't going to tell her anything until I could trust her. "I lost my memory, so I have no idea who you are."

She didn't respond. Total silence answered me for a short moment. Then, "I was afraid something like this would happen. But you're alive! That's all that matters. As long as you’re alive, everything will be okay." Despite her words, she sounded much more worried now. "Are you alright? Besides your memory?"

I shrugged even though it was too dark to see me; I suspected if she could see me she wouldn't have even asked. "I've turned into a Chespin... and I'm pretty beat up. You must know I was a human, right? Are those 'beasts' the reason I'm like this?"

There was a short pause. "I understand you have a lot of questions, but right now I don't have the time to answer them. Where are you?" Her voice was suddenly demanding; but I could sense panicked urgency beneath her words, which prompted me to answer honestly. "I don't know... It's a snowy mountain, I'm at a little home-made clinic and it's in the middle of nowhere."

She hummed thoughtfully. "That's… hm. Yes, I think I know where you are. Listen, at the mountain's base, there's a town; it has a machine that keeps the beasts at bay. You need to get there as soon as possible. It's the closest place to you that's safe."

My mind swam, dizzy from all the information I couldn't begin to process. Before I could properly respond, she spoke up again.

"Do not delay, not even a minute! The beasts have been on my trail and they could easily find yours! I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but I'll meet you at that town as soon as I can. I'll explain more then."

I jumped, afraid she was going to leave. I needed more, I still didn't understand anything! "Wait! I- I'm injured and I can't- I can't leave-"

"You have to! I have to go, but please... you need to go too- Now. Be safe, Moss. I hope I'll see you soon."

\-----

I woke up with a gasp, jumping into a seated position. I breathed heavily for a moment, wavering slightly, lightheaded from the sudden movement. My head suddenly throbbed at me and I clenched my teeth, reaching up to cradle my head. This stupid headache! I could hardly think!

I took deep breaths, thinking hard about my dream. It was hard to focus, but... I was sure that dream was real. It had to be.

Or maybe I had gone totally crazy. Either way, I had already decided to go along with this crazy world, what made a weird dream any different?

If that dream really was real, I just spoke to someone from my forgotten past. If I went to that closeby town, I could speak to her in person! Was she human? What was all this talk about us being in danger? Should I really jump up in the middle of the night and run away?

I turned, blinking through the darkness at Snowflake. She slept silently across from me, her beautiful white fur almost glowing in the darkness. A part of me didn't want to wake her. I had been enough of a burden on her already, I should just disappear into the shadows of the night, and she wouldn't need to worry about me anymore. It would be better if I just let her sleep and go on my own.

The other, stronger part of me didn't want to leave her. She had helped me, and I was already finding myself fond of her. She was the only sure friend I had, and even though she thought I was crazy, she was still willing to help me. I couldn't... betray that.

Plus, she was the only one who really knew where the town was.

Slowly, I pulled myself to my feet. Stumbling over to her, I lightly shoved at her shoulder. "Snowflake, wake up!" I called softly.

She groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, squinting at me through the darkness. "Moss...? What time is it?" She mumbled tiredly. Rubbing at her face with her paws, she lifted her head and peered out the window. The sun had yet to rise, and she frowned.

"I don't... is something wrong, Moss?" She asked, turning to me with concern. "Are you hurting? Do I need to go get the doctor?"

I shook my head hurriedly. "You remember the town you mentioned yesterday, the one closeby?"

Confusion crossed over her face, but she nodded. I clenched my hands into fists worriedly. Now all I had to do was convince her that we needed to go, and that I was definitely not insane for listening to the strange voice in my dream.

So… that's exactly how I should not word it to her.

"I know this sounds... even more crazy than you already think I am- but someone contacted me through my dreams. She said we need to get to that town as soon as possible." I paused, letting her take that in. She frowned at me. After a moment of searching for any sign that I was joking, Snowflake sighed.

"Moss... go back to sleep. You won't recover if you don't get a good amount of sleep." I opened my mouth to protest, but she shook her head. "We'll... we'll go to the town tomorrow morning, okay? But only if you go back to bed." She said, eyeing me seriously. She wasn't taking me seriously.

"No. We're going now." I snapped at her.

"What?" She blinked in surprise, gaping at me and taken aback by my sudden seriousness.

Shocked at my own attitude, I took a moment to collect myself. I held my hands in front of my body pleadingly. "Please... We can't stay here. It isn't safe. The voice said that… that town will keep us safe."

Snowflake furrowed her brow thoughtfully, and for once seemed to be taking my words seriously; if only because I seemed to believe it so strongly. "Safe? From what?" She asked doubtfully.

I opened my mouth to respond, "I-"

RRROOOAAARRR!!

Jumping in shock, the both of us leapt to attention, wide awake and looking around anxiously. From outside the room, a booming roar had suddenly rung out; starling us out of our conversation. It sounded close... and very angry.

Snowflakes eyes were wide, wildly flickering around the quiet, empty room. "What was that!? I've never heard anything like it..."

I licked my lips nervously, ignoring the pounding in my head. "I think... That's it. The beast."

A part of me was wildly afraid of the fact that we weren't running for our lives right now. If these things were as serious as the voice made them seem, we were in grave danger. A smaller part of me was relieved that this was actually happening and I wasn't insane. But it was admittedly a very small part.

I turned to Snowflake, ready to run at any moment. "The voice said beasts were chasing me! We have to go now before everyone here gets hurt!"

Snowflake turned on me, panic filling her eyes. "What!? What do you mean it's chasing you!? How's the town supposed to keep you safe!?"

"They have a machine, she said it keeps them out!" I grabbed one of her front paws, pulling it with me as I stumbled backwards. "Please... we have to go. There's so many sick pokemon here, we can't let them get hurt because of me!"

Snowflake stumbled after me, her face blank. Confusion had overwhelmed her, but when another roar came, much louder this time, her expression steeled. "O-okay... I don't- I don't understand what's going on, but I-... I trust you, Moss."

I nodded at her gravely and- letting go of her paw- I turned and ran to the door, throwing it open. I ran down the hallway with Snowflake close behind.

I tried my best to keep up the pace, but my head throbbed in line with my heart, and with every step I stumbled more and more. I tried to muscle through it, but when I finally collapsed, Snowflake ran up beside me and caught me. I gripped her back, trying to regain my balance.

We were almost to the door, the living room empty and the fireplace extinguished. Nobody would see us leave.

We picked up the pace again, and this time I linked one arm around her neck. Throwing open the door, we were just quick enough to see a red, eight foot tall monster approaching menacingly just outside the house. ‘Oh crap,’ I thought, eyes wide. I wasn’t sure what to anticipate but it wasn’t.. that. It turned to me, and the moment we made eye contact I slammed the door in its face.

Snowflake and I turned our backs to the door, bracing it. There was no way we'd keep it out, but there was nothing else our panicked minds could think of.

Two feet beside us, the wall of the clinic suddenly burst open, and we screamed in shock. The wall was replaced with a large red hand that had punched through it effortlessly. It was big enough to hold my entire body. I did not like my odds of surviving this.

The hand retracted, and the huge bulging beast must've bent over, as it poked its long needly nose into the building, peering around to look for me. I pressed myself as close to the door as my tiny body would allow.

Suddenly, a water gun splatted the beast in the face, and it reared away indignantly. ROOOOAAAARRRR!!! It cried, and I could only gape in shock as the Froakie from earlier raced out of the guest hallway, totally ignoring the injury on his knee. He turned to us.

"What are you doing just standing there!?" He shouted, his face set seriously. "Get out of here!"

Before I could respond, Snowflake nodded at him. She swiftly lifted me onto her back and ran out the door. I scrambled to wrap my arms around her neck, and in my dizziness I could barely see another water gun shoot out of the house, hitting the beast in its face and distracting it away from our escape.

I had no idea why the Froakie was helping us, but I'd take all the help I could get.

We slipped down the mountain side, and I knew we'd be able to go faster if I wasn't leaving Snowflake unbalanced. She struggled not to slip and fall under my weight, and the steadily increasing incline of the slope wasn't helping matters.

REEEEEAAAAAAHHH!! A different roar erupted from the trees to our side, and Snowflake stumbled to a stop as a human-sized creature stepped into our sights.

The sudden stop made my head spin, I could hardly see through all the spinning. I could see the creature glowing through the darkness, as if lit up by little LEDs. It advanced on us, and Snowflake quickly deduced it to be another beast, not waiting another second before taking a deep breath and sending an ice beam at it.

It froze in its advance, but it didn't seem very damaged by the move; easily snapping its thin limbs out of the ice that threatened to immobilize it. Snowflake gaped at it, shocked to see the freeze wear off so fast. She quickly turned tail, starting to run down the mountain again.

Behind us the beast cried out angrily again. I yelped when loud explosions suddenly erupted from behind, blasting hot wind against our backs. The force of their explosions shoved Snowflake forwards and off her balance, and it blew me off her back and over her head. “Aah!” The two of us were flung out of control and collapsed into the snow.

I groaned painfully, my whole body pounding in equal pain as my head. I could barely recognize Snowflake as she stumbled to her feet, facing the advancing monster. She stood before me... prepared to protect me.

I struggled to lift myself from the snow. I wouldn't let her do this alone...

It seemed I wasn't the only one with that sentiment. As if coming out of nowhere, a water gun struck the beast in its faceless, round head, forcing it to keel over into the snow. The Froakie was advancing on us quickly, a set of skis on his feet and his crutches being used as ski poles.

He came to a stop before us, and flashed us a grin. "I'm behind you. Now go! Before it collects itself!"

I couldn't help but grin back at him, and Snowflake nodded in thanks. She turned to me, bent down and lifted me back onto her back. I gripped her as tightly as my frozen paws could manage, and we set off down the mountain again. From behind us we could hear another roar from the beast, but this time when an explosion followed, it was not hot on our tails. I risked turning back to see what was happening.

Above us, Froakie was skiing closer, the lights from the explosions distant. We seemed to have lost the beasts sight for now...

Froakie came up beside us and quickly passed us. "Keep going! We're almost there!" He called over the noise, and I realized he was right. In the distance, I could see many lights dotting the landscape. They gradually grew closer, and the enraged roars from the beasts grew more and more distant. Were we already close enough to be under the towns protection? Hope grew in my chest.

Snowflake ran faster, and it jostled me out of my thoughts. My throat clenched, threatening that if this didn't stop soon, I'd surely be sick. Biting my lip as hard as I could, I tried to calm my breathing. I shut my eyes, and all I could hear was my own laboured breaths.

The cries of the beasts faded into nothingness, the sound of Snowflakes paws crunching hastily through the snow became muffled and my ears began to ring. Nausea began to take over all my senses, and I clenched my teeth painfully. It felt like my body was rejecting me.

I couldn't even feel Snowflake jostling me around anymore, couldn't even feel my own arms wrapped around her neck. Darkness grew around my mind, and before I could even realize what was happening, I had faded away.

\-----

Sunlight gently kissed at my fur, filling my body with warmth and comfort. For a moment I felt perfectly content. But then the sun poked at my eyes, insisting that I awaken right this very moment. I flinched, rolling onto my side. My side pinched at me painfully, and I flinched again with a soft groan.

'Good morning, world.' I thought, begrudgingly prying open my eyes. I was lying on a bed made of leaves- leaves that I was sure were once soft and comfortable to lie on, but were now crunchy and dry. I huffed, and forced myself into a sitting position, ignoring how the crunch of the leaves made my ears ring distantly.

Despite the occasional ache- I had to admit my head remained in tact for once. It didn’t spin at all as I looked around the room.

It had stone masonry walls, made of round grey rocks and dried mud. The floors were made of wood, and almost resembled tatami. 'Huh,' I thought with a tilt of my head. I wondered why certain things in this world almost resembled the way things were in my world.

The single door to my room was gently pried open. I blinked at Snowflake as she peeked in at me through the small opening. Seeing me awake, she smile brightly and opened the door, stepping inside. "Good morning, Moss! I thought I heard you moving," She said happily, clearly relieved to see me awake.

“I was really freaked out when you fainted, you fell right off my back!" She stepped up to me and nuzzled my cheek with her nose. I blinked at her in surprise as she pulled away, smiling even wider. "I'm so glad you're alright. How are you feeling?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

I hesitated for a moment, not quite sure what to say. "I-I'm okay. I'm feeling much-... a lot better. Wh-what happened? After I fainted?"

Snowflake sat down before me with a sigh. "I managed to pick you up and bring you into town, where I met Kubo- that Froakie that helped us. He insisted we come to his place, and I had nowhere else to take you, so here we are." She said with a tired smile, gesturing to the room. I hummed thoughtfully. So this was his place. I supposed it suited him pretty well.

"Moss," Snowflake said gently, redirecting my attention back to her, "you've been asleep for a whole week."

I blinked at her in surprise, "A week!?" She nodded. I looked away, staring down at my paws in awe. "Oh man..." I breathed. How much had I missed?

The Froakie called Kubo suddenly arrived in the open door, holding a cup of tea. Upon seeing me up, he grinned smugly. "Oh, look! Sleeping beauty is finally awake!" He sat beside Snowflake and handed me the tea. I took it cautiously, peering at him skeptically.

"It's herbal tea. My granny used to make it for me whenever I got injured. Healed me right up!" His smug air faded, replaced with a genuinely kind smile.

He was already acting so familiar around us. It was kind of odd, but it also made me feel... safe. Like I had somehow found a place in this world... even though I slept through it all. I smirked at him.

"And how often did you end up getting injured?" I asked, taking a sip from the tea. I had to admit, it was already soothing the painful ache in my bones. It was... refreshing. Kubo laughed, "by that tone, I think you can already tell it was a lot!"

Snowflake smiled, silently watching the exchange like someone would when introducing two mutual friends.

I finished the tea, gulping it down with much less grace than tea usually inspires. I sat the warm empty cup in my lap and peered between the two of them. None of us spoke for a short moment, before Kubo broke the silence. "So... do you know why those beasts were chasing you?"

Snowflake nodded in agreement, turning to me curiously. "You never really got the chance to explain, things happened so fast!"

I hummed, looking down at my feet and clutching the teacup between my paws. The lingering warmth soothed me, but my mind still raced with questions of my own.

"I don't... really know why. All I know is... is that the beasts are the reason I lost my memory, and turned into a Chespin." Kubo blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to ask, but Snowflake shook her head at him.

He settled back down and I bit my lip, struggling to think of how to continue. "I had a dream... where a strange voice told me I was in danger. She apparently knew me... y'know, before I lost my memory. She said she'd meet me here, at this town."

I paused, feeling like that was still an unsatisfying answer. I looked between the two hopefully, "I'm sure if I found her, she'd have all the answers..."

Kubo and Snowflake exchanged a glance. "Well, I think those monsters showing up is proof enough that this mystery pokemon really exists," Snowflake said gently, "do you know what she looks like, so we can find her?"

I shook my head sadly.

Kubo hummed, crossing his legs casually. "Well, from what I'm hearing, we should visit the guild. They know everything that goes on around here, and are always up to helping pokemon in need." Snowflake hummed skeptically, making me tilt my head. What was that about?

Kubo grinned, "plus... they're looking for new recruits! We could join!"

Oh.

I stared at him blankly and Snowflake rolled her eyes. "Stop asking that! Moss is in no condition for such rigorous training." Kubo huffed. "C'mon! It'd be perfect! They'd be great protection for him! And I can't get in all by myself, so you guys have to come!"

Ah, now I understood. Whoever these 'guilds people' were, Kubo seemed to idolize them. Rigorous training sounded like something he'd be interested in, from what I knew about him.

Still I didn't want them making any decisions for me. Before Snowflake could continue to argue with him, I cut in. "What's this guild? What do they do?"

Kubo jumped, excited to explain, but Snowflake spoke up first. "They're a group of exploration teams, training to become independent. They rescue pokemon who are in danger, and due to their status they're practically the leaders of the town. Everyone who lives here looks up to them." She side-eyed Kubo, who crossed his arms and pouted.

"I think it's very important they know about this... beast business." Kubo said with a huff. "They protect the town, and if we stay close to them they’d protect us.' He turned to me hopefully. "What do you think? Are you interested?"

I found his eagerness to be rather cute, and by their description I didn't see why teaming up with the guild would be a bad idea. Sure I wasn't in the best condition to train, but if they helped pokemon like me, surely they wouldn't mistreat me.

I made up my mind, nodding with a smile. "Sure. We can try it out."

Snowflake frowned worriedly, "but... are you sure it's safe for you?"

I nodded at her, "I think it'll be okay. We might as well go check it out. After all, they might not even want an injured pokemon like me in their ranks, so what’s the harm?" Snowflake sighed, but smiled hesitantly at me.

"...Okay. If you really want to, we can go. But I'll make sure they treat you right!" She said, determination flashing in her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile back at her brightly, a bit taken aback by how earnest she was.

"WOO!" Kubo cheered, jumping to his feet and pumping his arms in the air. "Let's go right now! We don't want anyone stealing our spot!"

He grabbed the cooled teacup from me and placed it hastily on the floor, then grabbed my paws and lifting me to my feet. He excitedly rushed me out of the room, with Snowflake following slowly behind us. She shook her head with an amused sigh, and together we made out way out of the house and into the world.


	4. Chapter 4

While the mountain top had been snowy- as if cast in an eternal winter- I found that the base of the mountain was much more temperate. As Kubo lead me and Snowflake through the town, I took the time to take in my surroundings. Peering up at the buildings and the huge mountain that stood tall above us, I couldn't help but gape in awe.

The town was not built on flat ground, instead it rose with the slope of the mountain. Houses were built into the side of the mountain, and were made of wood and stone. Some were small to accomodate tiny pokemon like me, and some were more human-sized. The foliage took precedence though; it was so lush and green, and as a result the air was very refreshing. It felt so strange, to suddenly go from snow to what almost seemed... tropical.

Overall the place had a cozy, natural vibe. I couldn't help but smile, finding myself much more at peace here. The clean, warm air calmed my headache and for a moment all pain had ceased. I almost forgot what that felt like. I shut my eyes for a moment and let myself bask in the feeling of the sun against my face.

"Oof!" I gasped, my eyes shooting open as I painfully bumped into something. It was Kubo, and he blinked at me for a moment, clearly not finding the bump all that painful. The three of us stopped for a moment and I flushed in embarrassment. Curse my broken body.

Kubo grinned smugly. "Sooo... enjoying the view?" He asked, already knowing the answer. I nodded hesitantly, and we all started walking again. Kubo continued to lead me and Snowflake, but now he had turned around to speak to me, walking backwards. I wondered whether he was just showing off, or whether he actually knew this town well enough to not need to see where he was going. Probably both.

"It's quite beautiful isn't it? I've lived here my whole life, and I wouldn't want it any other way!" Kubo said with a grin, clearly proud of this fact. Snowflake nodded with a polite smile before turning to me.

"I live up on the mountain, so I often hear it's quite hard to get a place here." She said, clearly curious. Snowflake turned to Kubo, "The people are quite... elitist about who's allowed to live here, aren't they?"

Kubo shook his head, an offended look going over his face for a moment. He opened his mouth to argue, but then he thought about it for a second. "I... guess," he shrugged, "but you don't have to put it like that. We just don't want the place to get too big and take over the wildlife." He looked away for a moment, clearly uncomfortable. "If the place gets too big, the whole appeal will be lost..."

Snowflake smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't know... I just hear passing stories, you know how it is."

Kubo nodded, and brightened up again. "It's okay," he began to say, before suddenly coming to a stop. He spun around, and stared up at the building before us. I turned my attention towards it as well, and found it to be the largest building we had come across so far. It was flashy and practically overgrown with flora, easily drawing the eye. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it as we approached.

"We're here!" Kubo said, excitement returning to his voice. Kubo took my arm and hastily pulled me towards the entrance. "Woah!" I yelped, but before we could enter the guild, a large pokemon stepped in front of us.

"well well, where do you three think you're going?" She asked, bending down to sneer at us. When her eyes landed on Kubo, she stood up tall, towering over us and rising an eyebrow. "You again?"

Kubo let go of my arm and puffed himself up, trying to appear as strong and manly as possible. "I'm here join the guild, Lycanroc! And this time I have a team, see?" He gestured to me and Snowflake, who had come up to stand beside me; I put my arm around her neck so she could help me stand. "So there's no way you can say no this time!" Kubo announced proudly, putting his hands on his hips, already convinced he'd won.

The Midnight Lycanroc raised her eyebrows at us, wholly unimpressed. "How many times do I gotta tell you? I'm not allowed to let little guys like you into the guild! It's too dangerous, plus, you're little friend there already seems worse for wear," she said, gesturing to me. She then crossed her arms and shifted her weight, looking down her nose at us. "It wouldn't matter if you got in, anyway; the Guildmaster isn't here right now."

Kubo stomped his foot stubbornly, "well, we could wait inside!"

Lycanroc rolled her eyes, but her uppity demeanour quickly faded into exhaustion. She sighed, running a paw through the fur on her head. "Look... We need new recruits because something happened to a bunch of our apprentices two weeks ago. I don't know what happened- the Guildmaster won't talk about it. But I can only assume they're... gone for good."

She squatted down to be more equal with us, frowning seriously. "They weren't little guys- a lot of them were tougher than me. So I'd highly advise you give up on joining us, at least until you get stronger. I don't want to see you guys get hurt."

Kubo was silent, his self-assured attitude fading. I frowned, sad to see him so put-out. This meant so much to him, I could only imagine how much he looked up to the guild. To hear of the guild suffering- and to be turned down time and time again...

I myself was a little taken aback by this news- I had no idea that was why they needed new recruits. The old apprentices... they had died, hadn't they? I hadn't considered that... but perhaps I should've. If these guild members truly saved pokemon in danger, then they'd have to be tough enough to handle it. I definitely wasn't much of a saviour, the way that I was. I'd already needed saving, multiple times. There was no way I was in any condition to try and help anyone else.

"Um... Lycanroc?" Snowflake piped up, drawing our attention. Lycanroc tilted her head questioningly. "We understand it's dangerous. The world out there- it's even more dangerous than you think! But that's why we need to join. We know crucial information; information that the Guildmaster needs to know as soon as possible."

I blinked, realizing the truth of Snowflakes words. I may not be a hero, a saviour, whatever you wanna call it. But I had no choice; not just me, but everyone needed the guild's protection, and they needed to know what was going on. I steeled myself, leaning away from Snowflake so I could stand on my own, ignoring the pain in my feet.

"Shes right, it doesn't matter if it's dangerous. We need to join because... because we need to help others." I said, my voice quiet but firm. "Risky or not, we have to do this. We have to help you. And if-... if something happens to us, it's our responsibility, not yours."

Lycanroc looked at the three of us, seeing the determination and hope in our eyes. She sighed and stood back up again. "I don't know what this 'information' is, but I can't let you-"

"It's alright, Lycanroc." A deep, womanly voice called out from behind us. The three of us jumped and spun around. "Let's hear what they seem so passionate about." The new arrival said, tilting her head elegantly. It was a Serperior, and to my surprise, when I looked around everyone present bowed in respect. Except for me, I just stood there dumbly, blinking in surprise.

She must've been the Guildmaster.

I supposed it was fitting; she did have a royal aura to her. Though she held herself more like a queen than a Guildmaster.

Lycanroc rose from her bow, a worried look on her face. "But Guildmaster, a- are you sure? You know it's too dangerous for pokemon like them, we can't let them risk their lives!"

Serperior slithered up to us, her head held high and her face expressionless. "I know. But I have a feeling..." she peered down at us, her nose held high. She towered above us, making me feel so small under her gaze. "That these three... have good reason to be here. They will not disappoint us." With that, she moved on past us, prompting Lycanroc to open the gate. Although her face was hesitant, she could not disobey the Guildmaster. As Serperior entered, we hesitantly followed after her, unsure whether we had actually been invited.

As we passed by Lycanroc, she did not stop us. She did frown worriedly, betraying her nerves. "I hope we don't regret this..." She mumbled with a sigh, and shut the gate behind us.

I blinked, my mouth agape as we passed through the guild. It was... huge. Or- maybe it just seemed big because I was so small. Either way, the ceiling towered over me, making the spacious entry room feel like a cathedral. I wondered how it would look in my normal size.

We followed the Guildmaster into a hall where a group of pokemon were speaking with each other. As Serperior entered the room, everyone fell silent and stood at attention. All at once, as if well-practiced, they all bowed. "Welcome home, Guildmaster," they all cried in unison. Serperior nodded, satisfied by their welcome, and they all stood back up again.

I paled, a little off-put by how well practiced it seemed. How many times did they need to do that before they got it right?

Stepping out of the crowd, a yellow lizard pokemon- I struggled to put a name to him, but eventually managed to dig up 'Heliolisk'- held out a clipboard and eyed Serperior professionally. "Welcome home, Guildmaster Serperior! I have some important news to report!" He said with a short little bow of his own.

Serperior nodded slowly. "Proceed."

He cleared his throat and peered down at his clipboard. "There was an attack last week on the nearby hospital- the one just up the mountain?" He paused, waiting for input. Serperior said nothing, but her slow nod seemed good enough for him. "Well, fortunately nobody was injured as far as we know- however three inmates seem to have either simply gone missing- or have been kidnapped."

Heliolisk swished his tail, taking a moment for his words to sink in. I spent that moment feeling relieved that Blissey, Happiny and the other pokemon hadn't been hurt in the crossfire.

"The attack seems to have been dealt by creatures that the shell-shocked inmates could only describe as: beasts. They were huge and unlike anything they had ever seen, but after the initial attack they disappeared, and no one knows where they went or why they attacked." He nodded stiffly, indicating that he was finished. Serperior hummed seriously, but was still yet to emote at all.

Snowflake cleared her throat, gaining the eyes of every pokemon in the room. When Heliolisk laid eyes on us, he blinked, and quickly checked his clipboard. "An Alolan Vulpix, a Froakie and a- Chespin!" He gasped, jumping to gape at us. "Are you the three pokemon that disappeared from the hospital last week?"

Snowflake grinned shyly, "uh... yeah..."

Serperior turned to us, moving her body out of the way so everyone could see us properly. "What happened?" She asked stoically, her voice so serious I couldn't help but wonder if she even cared at all.

For a short moment nobody spoke. Feeling all the eyes on me, I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. Kubo clenched his fists confidently, taking this as his opportunity. "Well, we needed to run away, since the beasts were attacking us. So she," he pointed at Snowflake, "needed to carry him," he pointed at me, "down the mountain, since he was injured real bad. I acted as the distraction, so they'd be able to get away! In the end, we all made it down in perfect condition! If we're able to get away from monsters like them, we're prepared for anything!" He crossed his arms proudly.

Snowflake laughed weakly. "Well, I suppose that's one way to put it... but hes not lying. I'd say we're a pretty good team." She smiled genuinely, and I wished I could feel like I participated. All I did was weight Snowflake down...

I cautiously peered back at Serperior, wondering whether she was impressed or not. Yet still, her face was completely unreadable and empty of any emotion. I couldn't hold her eye for long, and my gaze fell to the ground. Why was she so emotionless? I couldn't even begin to guess what she was thinking, she left nothing to grasp onto.

Heliolisk, however, smiled. "Well! I'm glad the three of you are alright." He bent down and shook my hand, smiling gently. I blinked at him. "You're all alive! That's all that matters."

Suddenly, from above my head, Serperior began to speak. "Everyone," she started, turning her body to face the guild members who had listened quietly until now. They all stiffened, standing to attention again. "These three young pokemon are now our newest recruits. Be kind and welcoming." Everyone nodded together. "Yes, Guildmaster!"

"Heliolisk?" She said, turning to him. He bowed, "yes?"

"These three will be of most importance. There is much they have yet to tell us, I can tell." She peered down at me, and while her words made me feel like we were wanted, her empty voice did not. "Take care of them. Teach them everything they need to know in order to succeed."

With that she turned and slithered away, leaving us without so much as a goodbye. She was... peculiar.

"Alright everyone, you're dismissed!" Heliolisk waved his hands at the assembly of apprentices. Whispering immediately broke out as the group dispersed. Heliolisk sighed, his stiff posture falling into something that betrayed his exhaustion. He turned to us. "Alright, come on you three. I'll take you to your room."

We followed him in silence as he brought us down a few floors and lead us to the dormitories. After passing a couple doors, he stopped before a room and opened the door. "Here we are. Do what you like for the rest of the day, but be prepared," he paused as we moved into the room, "we get up very early in the morning, and the Guildmaster tolerates no slackers." He then shut the door, leaving us to our devices.

I peered around. It was larger than our room at the hospital, as it housed three hay beds instead of two, and a table with a few stools. It seemed a bit more professionally made, too. The one window on the far wall looked out over the slope of the town. Once again, we had a great view.

Kubo jumped onto one of the straw beds, crossing his arms behind his head and grinning up at me. "I am SO excited. You have no idea." He smirked, kicking his legs energetically. "This is all I've ever wanted!"

Snowflake sighed tiredly, guiding me to the far bed and sitting on the middle bed herself. "I don't know why I agreed to this, I'm already exhausted and all we did was talk to people. I don't think I'm cut out for this kind of lifestyle."

Kubo crossed his legs confidently. "Aw, come on! You said it yourself, they need us! We're the only ones who know what's going on!"

"But we don't! All we know is that these beasts are out to get Moss!"

"That's totally critical information!"

I sat quietly as they argued, finding myself smiling a little. I could tell they had gotten to know each other a little in the time I was knocked out, so their bickering was not as serious as Snowflake made it out to be. I could tell that somewhere inside her, she was happy to be here too. For her own reasons, of course.

I plopped down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling and tuning their voices out. I wasn't sure I was physically well enough to do whatever it was the guild had in store for us tomorrow. I could only hope they took it easy on us for our first day. If not, well... Snowflake would probably vouch for me. I didn't want to have to sit out, though... I already felt like worthless enough of a teammate as it was.

I sighed and sat back up, rubbing by head as it complained about the sudden movement. I blinked, noticing something white sitting on the table. Curious, I stumbled over to the table and climbed onto one of the stools, standing on it so I could reach the table. The white object was a piece of paper, with a small, crude pencil sitting atop it.

I turned to Snowflake and Kubo, wondering if I should tell them about it.

"We don't even know what this 'mystery pokemon' looks like!"

"Well, news goes around pretty fast regarding the guild! There's only one Chespin in this town, so she's bound to hear about us eventually!"

"We should be out in town searching for her, not wasting our time here!"

"Guild work is anything BUT a waste of time!"

I decided that now wasn't the best time to interrupt them. I didn't want anything to do with their bickering either; my head was much too dizzy to keep up. So I climbed onto the table, lying across it on my belly, and picked the pencil up in my paw.

To my surprise, once I figured out how to hold the thing in my tiny paws, I found it immensely relaxing to draw. I peered over at Snowflake as she sat in her bed, her tails lashing in annoyance. I tried to mimic her form, and when I finished drawing her, I moved onto Kubo. He was much more... animated, so it was tougher to figure out. Still, I found my mind slowing, and all the worrying thoughts in my mind drifted away.

I peered at my finished drawing, holding my head up with my hands. I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't expected myself to grow so fond of my two new friends so quickly. Kubo almost reminded me of my past self, with his jokes and energetic behaviour. Even though I didn't know him well, I knew we'd be fast friends. Snowflake on the other hand already felt like a kind of... partner to me. She hadn't abandoned me yet, no matter how crazy she thought I was, or how much of a burden I had been.

I was lucky... to have friends like them...

before I knew it, my head had slowly slid down off my hands and plopped down onto the table. Completely oblivious, I fell sound asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking away the sleep. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, before frowning in confusion. I saw nothing. Drowsily, I peered around. Still, I saw nothing- I felt nothing. Darkness surrounded me, stretching out into complete and utter nothingness. It was as if I didn't even have a body. It was as if I was blind.

Wait... I peered around, realizing that I had experienced something like this once before. In a dream: when I had met that mysterious voice.

Was she contacting me again?

I waited for a moment, wondering why it was taking her so long to speak this time. "...Hello?" I tentatively asked into the void. My own echo was the only response. Was something wrong? Why wasn't she speaking?

"Moss...?"

"Moss! Can you hear me?"

Her voice finally rung out, echoing loudly around me. Relief filled me, lifting the worry from my shoulders. "Yes! I can!" I replied.

"Oh, thank the stars you're alright! I was so worried!" She breathed, equally relieved. "I couldn't contact you for days!"

I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah... sorry about that. I was kinda... knocked out." I coughed. "But I was safe! A pokemon from the hospital helped me escape the beasts that attacked. He had a place here in town, so he was willing to take me in."

"I'm so glad," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to meet you in person." The smile faded. "I was... well, let's just say... getting to town has become very risk for me."

I frowned worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm fine!" She said, much too quickly. "I'm safe for now. A very kind pokemon took me in, and I'm hiding with her." She paused hesitantly, and I waited in silence for her to continue. "I told her everything-... everything you might need to know... in the case that we never meet."

That, more than anything else, proved that she was anything but safe.

I didn't know what was going on. I didn't really know who she was or how she knew me; but she knew I was human, and she knew me before all this. She was the only chance I had to remembering who I was. We must've been friends in the past, too. We had been in this together.

My face hardened seriously. "If you can't come to me- I can come to you. Me and my new friends joined a guild, the one here in town. We can come help you- it's what explorers do!" I said, determination filling my heart. I wasn't going to just sit here and do nothing while she was in danger!

She didn't respond for a long moment, and I didn't know if it was because she was moved, or afraid.

"I don't... I don't know how long I can stay here. It's so risky to leave, but I don't want my friend to be in danger because of me." She sighed tiredly. "I'm sick of being so useless! I can't even help you!"

I couldn't help but know the feeling. My friends were endangering themselves to be around me- the beast attack showed clear as day how unequipped we were to handle this. But at the same time, if it weren't for them... I wouldn't be here. I hated the thought of putting them in danger, but... I needed them.

And right now, she needed us.

"Tell me where you are, anyway." I said seriously.

"H-huh?" She stuttered, surprised by my insistence. "O-oh, I... I suppose, I mean if the guild is on your side, then..." She cleared her throat worriedly. "You don't need to come right away, I-I'm fine. But if you ever end up travelling far east from the mountain, you can at least meet the pokemon whos helping me. She'll know it's you."

"I won't need to talk to her," I said encouragingly. "Because you'll be there to talk to me instead."

I heard her laugh shakily, "I hope so."

She took a moment to take a deep breath, calming her nerves slightly. "There's a deep, narrow valley to the east of you. It's huge and always clouded by fog. You can't miss it." She paused hesitantly. "In that valley, there's a lake with an island in the middle; the island is where I'm hiding. The valley is very dangerous- and I can't help but feel like it's my fault- but the place is swarming with beasts. I'd really, REALLY rather you didn't come find me." Her voice shook with anxiety.

A part of me wavered at the idea of facing more beasts. I was in no way prepared for that. But...

"I don't care. We're going to come get you. You're going to be okay," I assured. She breathed a soft, "right..." in response. I could tell she was still very unsure about all this.

"If- if you do come, you won't be able to swim across the lake- its too big. But there are berry bushes along the shoreline, and the berries le- EEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

-

"Aah!" I yelped, jumping up so violently that I accidentally threw myself from the table I had been sleeping on. I tumbled to the floor loudly with an, "oof!" and sat in a heap on the floor. I gasped, rolling over onto my back and staring at the ceiling, putting a hand over my racing heart. Oh god... oh god...!

What happened? Was I already too late?

I quickly sat up, peering over at my two friends who somehow were not roused by my tumble from the table. They slept calmly, completely unaware of what I had just experienced. The sun peeked through the window, and while the room was still mostly drenched in darkness, the morning was coming quickly. I took a deep breath to still my heart.

How was I gonna save her?

"WAKE UP SLEEPYHEADS!!" I practically jumped out of my skin, leaping to my feet and turning to see Lycanroc standing at the door. "Yaah!" Snowflake and Kubo yelped in shock, jumping awake. They blinked bearily at her, both looking a little betrayed.

Lycanroc crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe with a snarky grin. "I hope you newbies didn't stay up too late! It's time to get up!"

Snowflake sighed tiredly and moved to sit up in her bed, but Kubo just dropped his head back onto the hay. "Guh," he grumbled, obviously grumpy. Lycanroc snickered, and turned to leave. "If you three aren't outta here in five minutes, Heliolisk will have your heads!" She sang with a grin, before slamming the door behind herself.

I turned to look at Snowflake as she slowly stumbled to her feet. She yawned, blinking at me. "Morning, Moss..." She tilted her head, exhaustion forgotten in favour of concern. "Are you... okay? You look kinda... freaked out."

I blinked, realizing that my eyes had been wide open and my quills had been standing on end. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "I... I think we should probably go." I said weakly.

Snowflake nodded at me. "Okay," she said, before turning to Kubo, who had yet to move. I suspected he was halfway back to sleep already. "Kubo! We're gonna start our guild training! Isn't that exciting?" She urged, pressing a paw on his shoulder and shoving him. He rolled to face away from her and mumbled angrily. Snowflake frowned. "This was your idea, Kubo! Get up!"

Before she could shove him again, he raised a hand into the air and waved her away. "Fine, I'm getting up." He sluggishly moved to his feet and crossed his arms. "We better be getting something to eat," he huffed.

I danced from foot to foot, unsure if I should tell them about my dream now or later. "C'mon!" I urged, and the two compiled, but not without a curious look from Kubo. As we walked out the door and down the hallway, Kubo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "I thought I'd be the one aching to get out there and train. Are you a morning person?"

I growled impatiently, riled up by the mundane question. We had more important things to worry about! I wanted to tell them as soon as we had the time to properly discuss it, but I didn't think I could handle this. I filtered through my brain, trying to find a way to respond normally. "I guess I just... really wanna help people?" I managed to reply. Kubo smiled at that.

Upon reaching the end of the hallway, we found Heliolisk waiting for us. He hummed. "I have a very important assignment for you three." He said with a wave of his hand. He set off and we followed closely behind him, except Kubo, who skipped up to his side. "Already? Really!? What is it!?" He asked, excitement shimmering in his eyes. Well, that woke him up.

We made our way outside the guild, and Heliolisk turned to us once we reached the crossroads that lead out of town. "It is very simple," he said, putting a map of the area on the ground before us, and handing us a treasure bag. "Someone seems to have eaten all our food last night, the entire stock! So until we can get someone else to properly restock, you will go out and find food for the guild to eat tonight."

Kubos excitement faded, and he pouted. "So... there really is no breakfast." Heliolisk shook his head, and handed Kubo a list of fruits to collect. It was... long. Kubo glared at it. Heliolisk pointed at the map. "You will find everything you need in this dungeon. It should be pretty safe, since it's not too far from town."

Snowflake peered at the map curiously. "Its... outside the protective ward." She frowned up at Heliolisk. "Are you sure it's safe? There are beasts out there!"

Heliolisk shook his head. "You can't be an explorer if you're scared to leave home! Plus, whatever those beasts are, the only ones seen around here were those two at the hospital. I'm sure you won't encounter any." Snowflake didn't seem satisfied, but didn't say anything more.

"Now, I must be getting back to the guild. Good luck! And if you three do well, you'll be able to do much more interesting jobs." With that, he turned and strolled away. Snowflake hummed hesitantly, and Kubo continued to glare at the list of fruits in his hands, but I had no time for grumbling. I grabbed the bag and slung it over my shoulder, then snatched the map off the ground and the list out of Kubos hands, putting them away.

Snowflake and Kubo both blinked at me owlishly, surprised by my assertiveness. "what's up with you?" Kubo asked. My seriousness fumbled, and I gulped nervously under their gazes. Gripping the bag strap tight in my paws, I spoke. "We should get going. We can eat some of the fruit we find too, so..."

Kubo jumped up immediately. "Oh, you're right!" He cheered, suddenly very excited. "What are we waiting around for, then! Let's go!"

-

Kubo skipped along the dungeon ahead of me and Snowflake. We walked together at a more reasonable pace. Before us, Kubo would pause occasionally to pick a berry from a bush and pluck it into his mouth. He hummed happily, clearly ecstatic to be here.

Our bag was almost full with various apples and berries by now. It was getting heavy to carry, but I was feeling a lot less weak now. I wasn't sure if that was because of the endless nervous energy coursing through me, or simply because I was recovering. Either way, my body was ready to fight if that's what I needed to do. I felt so on edge that I could barely hide it, fidgeting and my quills standing up. Snowflake occasionally gazed at me worriedly.

I turned to her when she eyed me again, nervously biting my lip. Maybe now would be a good time...?

"That voice contacted me in my dreams again," I whispered softly. Snowflake gasped. "Is she in town?" She asked, though perhaps because of my antsy behaviour, she didn't seem too hopeful. I shook my head. "She said she's hiding from the beasts. Some pokemon gave her a place to stay and she told me where it was, but I don't think she's there anymore..."

Snowflake frowned. "Why not?"

I clutched the bag tightly, looking down at the ground. "My dream got cut off- she started screaming and then I just... woke up."

Snowflake hummed softly, looking ahead of us instead of at me. "That doesn't sound good... What do you think we should do?"

I shook my head, peering up at Kubo as he continued to lead us through the dungeon, confident and lighthearted. I was happy to leave him out of this for now. He deserved to enjoy his first mission. "I want to go to the place she was hiding. She told me the pokemon who helped her knew everything we needed to know. But..." I turned to Snowflake and she looked back, eyes narrow and serious. "It's really dangerous there. There's beasts everywhere and I don't think we're ready for that..."

Snowflake looked away again, this time staring down at her feet as we walked. I wondered what she was thinking about. Maybe whether it was safe, or whether we should tell the guild? I suddenly realized that I hadn't considered telling them. They'd surely help us, wouldn't they?

We started walking slower and slower, completely lost in thought. Eventually Kubo noticed that we had fallen behind, as he suddenly arrived before us. We jumped and blinked at him, startled. "What are you two doing? We got a mission to do!" He said, stern and a little confused. "Let's go!"

Me and Snowflake shared a short glance. "Right," Snowflake said, and I nodded. Kubo grinned, satisfied. He then turned and ran off again. Snowflake smiled wearily at me. "We'll make plans later. The moment we're done with this." I nodded again, and we started off, running after Kubo.

We turned a corner in the path, and stopped suddenly, finding Kubo standing square in the middle of the path. Peering around him, we found that he had been stopped by a strange, tiny creature. Kubo blinked at it with wide eyes, his face set seriously.

It hovered before us for a moment, swinging its tiny paper-thin legs. It had a head, but didn't have much of a face, so I had no idea of its intentions. I had never seen anything like it, and had no name to give it. I suddenly became aware of Snowflake beside me, as she pushed herself in front of me, standing between me and the odd creature.

"Who are you?" She asked it, the threat clear in her tone.

It turned, alerted by her voice. Upon spotting me, it suddenly jumped to life. "SHREEEE!!"

All at once Kubo dodged out of its way as it darted towards me, and Snowflake stopped it with an ice beam right to its face. It tumbled backwards into the bushes, with a strange, wordless cry. "It must be one of those beasts!" Kubo said, already falling into a fighting stance.

Snowflake shifted, standing completely in front of me now. "We have to protect Moss!"

The beast recovered from its short respite, flying out of the bushes and immediately being hit by another ice beam and a water gun. I growled softly to myself. I wanted to help, but I had no idea how... Did I even have any attacks?

Kubo threw bubbles at the beast's face as a makeshift smokescreen, and as it was distracted, Snowflake used extrasensory to try and hold it in place. The beast struggled in confusion for a moment, and I used that moment to figure out what moves I could use.

I peered down at my hands, frowning at the tiny paws. I could bite the beast, I supposed. My teeth were pretty big, so they were probably pretty strong, too. But that was just a regular thing that even humans could do. How else could I fight it? What could a Chespin do?

My quills flared up defensively, almost as if to answer my question. I grinned triumphantly. I could use pin missile!

The beast wriggled its way out of the hold Snowflake had on it and attacked, swinging its blade-like arms at her. From behind Snowflake, I grit my teeth and gathered all my strength. A barrage of pin missiles shot at the beast, sending it off course and into another bush with a shriek of rage. Snowflake gasped and turned to blinked at me. "Moss?" She said, barely louder than a breath.

"Woah, Moss! Nice move!" Kubo said with a surprised grin, jumping up to stand at my side and giving me a thumbs up.

I smiled confidently at him, puffing up my chest. "I'm not going to let you guys have all the fun!" I said, prompting Kubo to slug a friendly punch to my shoulder. "Ow," I groaned with a laugh. Snowflake shook her head and sighed. "Boys," She mumbled, but I could still see her smiling softly.

The beast emerged from the bush, and even though it didn't have much of a face to emote with, I could tell it was irritated. It threw its arms around in frustration and cried out angrily. "SHREEEEE!!!!" It shrieked, rearing back and calling out into the sky. We all cringed and covered out ears at the harsh sound.

"That doesn't sound good..." Kubo mumbled, wincing.

Silence followed after, and in the distance I could hear the beasts screams echo back at us. I blinked, my eyes going wide. Wait a second...

"It's calling more beasts!" I yelped, immediately grabbing Kubo's hand and wrapping my arm around Snowflakes neck, turning to run away. "We have to go!" They stumbled after me.

As it turns out, turning our backs to the enemy wasn't the smartest move. The beast lunged at us- at me in particular. "Agh!" I gasped, flung to the ground and ripped away from my friends. The beast wrapped its thin papery arms around my chest and started flying up into the sky. "SHREEEEE!!!!" It cried, and I was sure it was calling the beasts again.

Where was it going to take me? What did they even want from me? Why was this happening!?

"Moss!" I distantly heard Snowflake call through the haze of my own panic. I peered down, immediately finding my vision swim with dizziness. We had risen barely above the trees. I steeled myself, clenching my hand into a fist. Something inside me surged with power, and I swung my fist around to slug the beast in the face. "EEAHHH!!" It yelped in pain, and its grip on me loosened. I slipped out of its grasp and dropped to the forest floor.

"Oof!" I hit the ground with a loud thud. My mind spun dizzily, and I could barely hear Snowflake and Kubo as they swarmed around me, asking if I was okay. Suddenly, power filled me and I pulled myself from the ground, feeling better than I had in ages. "I'm okay," I said, grinning. "In fact... I feel pretty good!"

Snowflake gasped, "that was a power-up punch!"

Kubo nodded with a grin, "yeah, there's no other way you'd be feeling so strong after that fall."

The beast screeched again, angered beyond reason at being thwarted so easily. I jumped, peering up at it.

The beast flew at us, furious and ready to slice through us with its blades.I grinned to myself. Finally, there was something I could do! I could be a real part of the team! I jumped in front of my friends and reared back, before throwing my fist forward and punching the beast square in its chest. It barely even made a sound as it was stopped dead in its tracks and flew back the way it came. It landed heavily on the ground, completely knocked out.

"YES!" I cheered, jumping into the air feeling even more power surge through me. I won! I beat it!

Kubo wrapped an arm around my shoulder with a grin. "That was so cool! I didn't know you had such cool moves!" I smirked at him, and we laughed victoriously. "Take that, beast!" We cheered, both throwing a fist into the air.

Distantly, we heard more beasts call out, their voices ominous and unnerving. Our celebration quieted.

Snowflake coughed awkwardly. "We should probably... be getting home now. I'm sure we have enough food."

"Right," I said, all my bravado fading. Even though I could now say I wasn't useless anymore, I doubted I could go up against something any bigger than a foot tall. We turned, following the path back to town.

-

The sun was sinking down behind the horizon when we finally made it back to the guild. Stepping into the main hall, we spotted Heliolisk waiting for us, with Guildmaster Serperior standing tall behind him. I blinked in surprise; why was the Guildmaster waiting for us too?

Kubo grabbed the bag from around my neck and ran ahead of us, handing it to Heliolisk proudly. "Here's the food!" He sang, and Heliolisk took it. He looked pleased as he peered into the bag, making sure we got everything.

"This is great, good job guys." He said with a smile, shutting the bag and slinging it over his own shoulder. Me and Snowflake stood beside Kubo, tilting our heads at Heliolisk curiously. "I'll take this to the kitchen as soon as possible! I'm sure everyone's very ready for dinner." He bowed to Serperior before taking his leave, disappearing around a corner.

The three of us peered awkwardly up at Serperior. For a while there was silence between us. None of us were sure if we were allowed to talk first when in her presence. She seemed very rule oriented, and would probably get upset if we broke any. So we waited, anxiously shifting beneath her inquisitive gaze.

"Well done," She finally said, making the three of us jump. "Sadly the perpetrator who stole our food hasn't been caught, but I'm sure it will not be a problem for long."

Kubo coughed awkwardly. "Um... I swear it wasn't any of us, if that's what you're-"

"Anyway, you have completed your first mission with flying colours." Serperior said, speaking over Kubo as if he hadn't even said anything. "Now, before you go to dinner, I have taken this time to speak with you all. I would like for you to tell me the 'information' that you deemed so important yesterday."

"Oh," Snowflake breathed in realization. She and Kubo turned to me, making me fumble nervously. I cleared my throat and looked up at Serperior. I nodded. She continued to look down her nose at me, as if whatever I had to say would probably be unimportant. I hesitated and my eyes fell to the ground. I always knew I'd be the one to tell the story, but...

I struggled to find my voice. She was so intimidating. I felt like she'd eat me if I didn't give her an answer worth her time. I wished she'd just give me something to prove she wasn't emotionless. I shook my head, berating myself. There was much more important things to worry. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look up at her.

"Well... I guess to start, my name is Moss. A week ago I woke up in the middle of nowhere with my memory completely wiped. I don't remember much, but I do know that I... I used to be a human, not a Chespin." I paused, expecting some kind of reaction, but Serperior remained as stoic as ever. I fiddled with my hands, and I turned, finding that Kubo was blinking at me in confusion. I almost cracked a smile. Snowflake evidently hadn't told him about the human part.

I continued, "someone contacted me in my dreams, and she told me that she knew me before. The voice told me that for some reason, the beasts that have been showing up lately are after the both of us. She thinks they're the reason I transformed and lost my memory. When the beasts attacked the hospital, they were after me. The voice told me that this town had a protective ward, that could keep me safe from the beasts- so here I am!" I said, doing jazz hands in a pathetic attempt to bring some levity to the situation.

Serperior did not react. I coughed, crossing my arms awkwardly. "Anyway... last night she contacted me again. We had planned to meet here because its safe, but she couldn't make it and had to hide somewhere else. She said that a pokemon had taken her in, but she couldn't stay too long, in fear of being found. She told the pokemon everything she knew about this beast stuff, so if the beasts found her, we could still get the information we need." My arms shifted so I could hug myself. I peered down at my feet and took a deep breath to try and steady my voice.

"She told me where I could find them... but something happened, I don't know... She screamed, I- I think they're in danger." I looked back up at the Guildmaster, with fiery passion in my eyes. She stared back, dispassionate.

"We have to go there. The way is dangerous, and I know we just started training, but she needs us. Even if you don't care about her, you must at least understand that she holds very important information. She could know why these monsters keep showing up. She could help us find a way to make the world a safer place. We have to go as soon as possible, for her sake and the sake of the world." I clenched my hands into fists, frowning seriously. "I don't care how hard it is, or how much I'll need to work. She needs me."

I finished my words and stared up at Serperior urgently. I felt a hand on my shoulder and a paw on my back, making me look around. I found Kubo and Snowflake smiling at me fondly.

"Not just you, Moss. We're a team! Wherever you go, we're going with ya!" Kubo said, holding up a fist confidently.

"I don't even know what to say... but I know that I won't ever leave your side." Snowflake said gently. "It's what friends do, no?" She laughed with a cute tilt of her head.

I felt my throat tighten and I blinked away the wetness in my eyes. It felt so good to know I wasn't alone in this. As long as I had them, I felt I could do anything. We'd save my old friend together, and then she'd never need to be alone again.

The Guildmaster looked down at us quietly as we stared up at her with determination blazing in our eyes. Then, I saw something I had started to think I'd never see... a small smile twitched at her lips.

"I understand." She said, her voice still emotionless, but with a small tint of warmth hidden underneath. "Usually I'd send more experiences members, since you three are so new to this. But your intrepidity and team spirit has changed my mind." She tilted her head down, looking at us directly instead of down her nose. "From now on, I will be expecting much more out of you three, do you understand?"

We nodded, grinning widely with excitement. She nodded, satisfied. "I want to see this kind of spirit every time I look into your eyes. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Guildmaster!" We chanted, bowing in unison.

"After all... I think it is time to eat." She said softly, and when I stood back up again to look at her, her smile and warmth was gone. I wondered why she always hid her emotions behind a mask. Was she even hiding, or was that just how she was? At the very least, I was happy to know she did have emotions after all.

Together, the three of us made our way to the dining room, where we happily ate our fill. Eating with all the other pokemon, it almost felt like a party. I couldn't help but feel like things were finally going my way.


	6. Chapter 6

In the early morning, the guild bustled with life. It felt odd to stand in the main hall and watch all the other apprentices prepare for the journeys ahead. It was odd to know that soon, I'd be going on my own journey. And yet, I couldn't feel even a tinge of excitement. I stood back, a little ways away from Snowflake and Kubo as they discussed the route we'd take and what we needed to pack with Heliolisk.

Distantly, I could hear Heliolisk speaking, but very little information managed to make its way into my troubled mind. "...if you're pace is brisk and uninterrupted, you should get there by nightfall..."

I felt a little detached from this moment. The adventure we had ahead of us pressing down on my heart so heavily I found it hard to breathe. This wasn't going to be a fun little adventure where we gather berries and beat up tiny monsters. We weren't ready for this. Yet the thought of waiting even another day made a pit form in my stomach. My nameless friend needed me- needed us- and yet... how were we supposed to do this on our own?

'Moss? Are you okay?" Snowflakes worried voice cut through my thoughts and I turned to look at her. I forced a smile on my face, but I could tell she didn't buy it. "Yeah I'm fine! What's up?" I said, pushing down my thoughts for now.

Kubo approached me with the treasure bag in his hands, before throwing it over my shoulder. Heliolisk stepped up beside him, holding a few strange items in his hand. He held out a small machine, and I took it, turning it over in my hands. Snowflake and Kubo peered over my shoulders, equally curious.

"That is something we're usually very hesitant about giving to apprentices." Heliolisk said matter-of-factly. "We have very few, and we can't risk losing or breaking them, but the Guildmaster insisted you bring one with you."

"What is it?" I asked, peering up at him.

"It's a smaller version of the ward we use to keep the town safe. Very few pokemon know, but it's actually called a Max Repel. Its got the biggest range we've been able to manufacture." He smirked, clearly proud of himself. "That Repel you're holding only has a radius of about two meters, but it'll keep your team safe from any immediate threats."

"Woah," I breathed, turning it over in my hands again, before carefully slipping it into the treasure bag. Heliolisk then handed me a small, blue glass sphere. "An Orb?" Kubo asked curiously.

"An Escape Orb, to be precise. Use it, and it'll warp you- and anyone touching you- back to the guild." Heliolisk said, crossing his arms seriously.

"Huh," I hummed. "How do you use it?"

"You shatter it on the ground," he replied, with an easy smile. "That's good," I laughed, "that way I can't mess it up!"

As I put it in my bag alongside the Repel, Heliolisk dusted off his hands with satisfaction. "Well, I suppose it's time now. I wish you three luck with your mission, and with saving your friend."

We nodded seriously, before bidding him goodbye and making our way out of the guild. Stepping out of the front gate, I peered at Lycanroc out of the corner of my eye. She frowned at us, her arms crossed and her mood sour. I couldn't blame her for worrying about us, but there was nothing she could do.

We made our way to the outskirts of town, pausing to look over the wide stretch of landscape that stood before us. I cleared my throat nervously, running the route we'd need to take through my head. What if we couldn't do this? What if I couldn't do this?

Snowflake bumped my shoulder with her nose. "Don't worry, Moss. She'll be okay. We'll be able to save her, I know it."

I smiled warmly at her, feeling my unease fade a little. I was then yanked away in the other direction, as Kubo threw an arm around my neck. "Well, what are we waiting for! Let's go alreadyyy!" He announced, pointing confidently out over the horizon, before letting me go and jumping into action.

I passed an uneasy glace at Snowflake, who only smile encouragingly before following after Kubo. I sighed, gripped my bag nervously, and started off as well.

-

The area was unsurprisingly mountainous, though many of the canyons were not nearly as large as the snowy summit I first woke up on. They were large and rocky, but snow didn't endlessly settle upon them. As we traveled, I found myself looking around in awe, absolutely blown away by the world I now inhabited. We walked along the cliff sides, taking care to not get too close to the perilous drop at our side.

Snowflake and Kubo both walked ahead of me, with Kubo in front. I fell behind somewhat, my gloomy mood slightly lifted from my shoulders. I felt like these beautiful sights deserved my full attention, yet urgency forced my attention away.

Initially we had feared the Repel wouldn't keep the beasts from detecting my presence, but our fears had been thankfully incorrect. Nothing came to attack us through the entire day, and even when the sun began to dip behind the mountaintops, I hadn't heard even a single monstrous cry. It made me uneasy. I knew I should feel safe, but instead I only felt anxiety, ready for an ambush or something potentially worse to overtake us.

And yet, nothing came, so when the three of us stopped along the side of a mountain to eat dinner, Snowflake and Kubo seemed pretty confident.

"We should be getting close to the valley. Sooner or later we're gonna start seeing some fog, so look out for that, okay?" Snowflake said, peering at the map as I held it out for her. Kubo jumped from his seated position, apple in hand as he hopped around our little alcove in search for a distant mountain range filled with mist.

"I don't see anything from here," he said with a frown, "I'm going to climb a little higher. Y'know, see if I can spot it."

He started to clamber up the steep slope next to us, before I yelped out to him. "Wait! The Repel only stretches two meters!" I jumped to my feet. "You can't leave, it's dangerous!"

He paused for a moment to roll his eyes at me. "The beasts are only attracted to you, stupid. Me leaving for two seconds will be fine, there's nothing around here anyway!" And before I could protest any further, he hopped away, up and out of sight. I huffed and crossed my arms, plopping back onto the ground.

"He's being too casual about this." I mumbled grumpily, reluctantly reaching for and eating a berry. Snowflake shook her head worriedly. "I know, but it would be good to know if we're going in the right direction..." She sighed, and the two of us ate in silence for a moment.

Distantly, I heard the rustling of grass. Then, a moment later, Kubo appeared over the bend of the slope and slid down to us. He grabbed a berry and stuffed it into his face hastily, before quickly packing our food back up. "Kubo!" Snowflake exclaimed in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"No time!" He said, and in the short pause between that and his next words, my only thoughts were, 'I told you so!' "We got a situation: someone's hurt!" Kubo finished, stuffing the food into my bag, before rushing back over the hill with a gauze roll in hand.

Me and Snowflake blinked at each other. "Huh?" I asked, my smug words ripped from my throat.

The next second we were clambering to our feet, and following Kubo over the slope. We found Kubo kneeling before a pink figure that was collapsed on the ground, her small body hidden behind the cover of a rocky ledge that lead further up the mountain. "Is she okay?" Snowflake asked as the two of us came up behind him, inspecting the fallen pokemon worriedly.

It was a Skitty. She was unconscious, and her body was covered in bruises and dirt. Although I knew it was our job as guild members to help pokemon in need, I found myself totally blanking on what to do to help. I could only watch anxiously as Kubo and Snowflake both tended to the poor things' wounds.

"She should be okay," Snowflake said gently, "but we can't leave her here. I... hope she had someplace safe to go."

Kubo knelt on the ground with a serious look on his face. He nodded, but beyond that he didn't say anything. I shifted my weight between my feet nervously, wondering what he was thinking. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing I was; since a beast must've done this, we were definitely getting closer to our destination.

"Uhhg..." A soft voice groaned, pulling me from my thoughts.

"You're awake! Hey, are you okay?" Snowflake asked, lowering her head to peer at the Skitty as she slowly drifted back to consciousness.

The Skitty squinted her eyes and sniffed Snowflake curiously, a pained pout on her face. She raised her head and looked around at the three of us, her confusion fading into mild panic. "Wh-... where..? Who are you?!"

Something twisted in my heart. Was she... like me? I both yearned for and dreaded such a thing. Yet this idea somehow made me realize what I could do to help.

I bent down to her side and sat her up, putting a solid, steady hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, you're safe now..." I said with a smile, "what happened to you? How did you get hurt like this?"

She spent a short moment to look back at me worriedly, before turning her gaze to the ground. Her expression was steeled as she thought harder about her answer. "...I was with my friend... we went out for a hike. We didn't think... we had no idea..." She swallowed heavily. "We were attacked by some strange monsters, and I managed to find a place to hide, but still I was sure I'd..." She stuttered to a pause, looking back up at me. "If it weren't for you three, I don't know what would've happened to me..."

I felt both relieved and pained to know that she was just a regular Skitty, and not a human like me.

"My friend!" The Skitty suddenly cried, pulling herself away from me so she could stumble to her feet. I stepped away, but still held my hands out to catch her if she collapsed. "Did you see- do you know what happened to a Bounsweet? Is she okay?"

Me, Snowflake and Kubo exchanged nervous glances. "No," Kubo said with a gentle shake of his head, "We have no idea. We just got here; we're explorers, see. We're on a rescue mission right now and I just happened to find you."

The Skitty wilted, biting her lip and tears welling up in her eyes. I could feel her dread radiating from her in waves, and I couldn't help but feel a kinship with her. If only my own friend wasn't in such dire need, I'd have dropped everything to try and help her. I stepped forward again, putting my hand on her shoulder again. She looked up at me, and I smiled sadly.

"It's gonna be okay, alright? You're fine, so I'm sure she will be too." I said, urging her to smile too. She didn't, but her nerves calmed a little. "Thank you... for helping me," she said, nodding at me. I nodded back solemnly.

"Where are you guys going?" She asked, now addressing all of us. Kubo jumped up to me and pulled the map from my bag, showing it to her. "We're trying to find the Misty Valley. Do you know if we're close?"

Fear flashed through her face for a second, but vanished just as fast. "I-it's only a little ways away. I used to live there before-..." She shook her head. "It's practically off-limits since it's so dangerous now. Whoever you need to rescue there... They're a lost cause."

I didn't outwardly react, but from the corner of my eye I saw Snowflake gaze at me worriedly. I didn't even clench my fists, yet my sudden stiff silence told her enough about how I was feeling.

A lost cause? How could she say that! I didn't come all this way to fail! I was suppose to save my friend- she needed us! She needed me!

I clenched my teeth to keep myself from saying anything, as Kubo stepped in to talk instead. "We won't know that until we go! We never back out, no matter what! That's what explorers do!" He threw her a confident thumbs up, but I could tell it was a little less genuine that usual.

Snowflake nodded. "We know it's dangerous to go. But it's important that we make sure our friend is safe. I'm sure... you understand?"

The Skitty looked down again, dejected. "Yeah... I-" She suddenly paused, humming thoughtfully. Her expression steeled a little. She looked up at us, a serious look on her face. "I know my way through the fog. There's no way you can get through that place without a guide. I'll take you wherever you need to get to."

I blinked, surprised at her change of heart. Or... had it truly changed? I hesitated to jump at the opportunity, suspicious of her sudden determination.

Kubo, on the other hand, beamed at her. "That's the way to do it!" He cheered. "You got the bravery of a Braviary!"

Snowflake smiled thankfully, her reaction much more subdued. "Are you sure? I mean- of course we'd do everything in our power to protect you from harm, but... Wouldn't you rather go home, or some other place where you can recover from your injuries?"

The Skitty shook her head. "No. Even though I... I lost my friend..." She hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I want to know... what happened to yours."

Guilt twisted in me. Maybe I was... too hasty with my suspicion. She had just been through something horrible...

"Okay," I said softly, my gaze locked on the ground at my feet, "you can come. If you... really think you're alright."

The Skitty stared at me for a long moment, not saying anything even after I managed to peer back up at her. The three of us waited for her to speak, until she dipped her head down guiltily. "My name's Sakura," she said instead. She looked around at us. "What's yours?"

The three of us hesitated. "I'm Snowflake," Snowflake said with a small bow, "and this is Moss-" "And I'm Kubo!" Kubo interjected, refusing to let her introduce him. "It's nice to meet you, Sakura." He smiled at her, and for the first time, Sakura smiled back.

"You-... you too." She breathed softly. "Now... c'mon. It's best we get this over with before nightfall. Things are much safer during the day."

Sakura turned and marched off, seemingly oblivious to her injuries. Snowflake frowned at me, worried for her. I gripped the strap of my bag tightly in my paws, my face grim. I had an idea of why Sakura wanted to help us. Her life had been ripped from her hands, and now she wanted to find a way to regain control. She wanted to be able to save someone, even if it wasn't the person she truly cared about. She wasn't okay, she was hurting so badly- but she needed this. She needed to take control of something.

And I could relate to that feeling. I loosened my grip on the strap.

"It's okay," I said, "let's go."

-

It only took fifteen minutes more walking before we reached the canyons edge. We suddenly found ourselves looking down the slope of the mountain, right into the Misty Valley. It was as if a dense, white cloud had descended from the sky to rest between the two mountain ranges, drenching the area in such thick fog that I was sure it had to be unnatural. Why was this place so odd? What made it so special?

Distantly from within the fog, I could hear familiar inhuman cries. Those sounds could only mean there were a whole lot of beasts. I gulped.

I suddenly felt very thankful that Sakura had wanted to come with us. I did not want to wade through that without a guide.

"How are we supposed to find the lake in all that fog?" Kubo asked, crossing his arms with a frown. "There's no way we'd be able to see an inch in front of our noses!"

"Good thing I don't need to be able to see!" Sakura said, with faux confidence. I could see her tremble fearfully everytime a monsterous cry rang through the area, but she held firm. She stood as tall as her tiny body would allow. "I know what I'm doing. As long as I'm leading, we'll be going straight for the lake."

I took a deep, shaky breath. 'Hold on, friend,' I thought, staring down into the fog as if I'd be able to see her from here. 'I'm here, so you're gonna be okay now. Just wait a little bit longer.'

Snowflake nudged me with her head, and I blinked down at her. She smiled encouragingly, before turning to Sakura. "Lead on then, Sakura. We'll be right behind you."

Sakura nodded. "I will." With that, she took a cautious step forward, and the four of us started making our descent down into the mist. Sakura took the lead, with Kubo gently grabbing her tail so as to not get lost. I held his other hand, while my other paw rested atop Snowflakes shoulder. None of us was going to get lost.

We passed numerous pine trees and brushes, all eerily barren of pokemon who should be calling this place home. As the fog slowly overtook any hope I had of being able to see my surroundings, all I had left to do was hold on tight to Kubo's hand. I stared at my feet, making sure I kept up and didn't trip on anything. I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want to live here.

Ahead of us, Sakura gasped. I raised my head, blinking through the fog. I could barely see her pink body as she suddenly came to a stop before us. "We need to hide!" She said, pulling Kubo and the rest of us aside so we could scramble under the cover of a large pine tree. The four of us sidled up next to each other, trying to take up as little space as possible.

Kubo lifted his head and peered around in confusion. "Why do we need to hide? Nobody could see us even if we were in the middle of a field!"

"Shhh!" Sakura hissed, and silence descended upon us. From the distance, I could hear the familiar roaring of a beast. The snapping of branches and rustling of leaves slowly grew louder, and I couldn't help but curl in on myself. Something was coming, and it was impossible for me to see it. Could it see me?

RRROOOAAARRR!!! The beast cried, stomping ever closer, and I could feel Snowflake jump beside me, her nerves shot. My eyes darted around, straining to see through the heavy mist, when suddenly a large red leg stomped into my view, coming in from the left. I almost yelped, nearly jumping out of my skin.

It was the same beast I had seen back at the hospital, the towering red bug monster. Slowly, it took another step to the side, but from our hiding place under the branches, I couldn't see the direction it was facing. I feared the Repel wouldn't work when so close by. I bit my lip struggling not to cry out for us to run.

RRROOOAAARRR!!! The large creature bellowed again, before stomping off. Its departure was accentuated by the loud sound of it crunching through the foliage, tearing the plants apart like paper. The four of us continued to hide, waiting as long as it took for the terrifying sounds to fade into nothingness.

When finally Sakura decided we were safe, she tugged on Kubo's hand and pulled us out from under the tree. "I think it's gone now," she whispered. I shakily stood and followed after them, pulling Snowflake along with me; but now my arm was wrapped around her neck, holding her a bit closer. The both of us were shaking.

"Th-that... that beast was looking for me..." I breathed weakly. Snowflake seemed to be the only one who heard me, as she reached up and nuzzled my cheek. "I'm sure it has no idea we're here. The Repel worked, right?" I nodded, but she could still feel my arm shaking.

We continued to walk, hesitantly making our way towards the lake. As we went, I found that the mist was actually thinning out a little. The sun had finally dipped behind the mountainside, casting a huge dark shadow over the area. Pine trees surrounded us for as far as I could see, and every so often, we crossed a clearing where the beasts had torn the trees from their roots, and the area was completely destroyed.

I gulped. I couldn't imagine the fear my friend must've felt to be stuck in a place like this. It was... horrible.

"We're here," Sakura's voice broke through my thoughts, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I looked up, moving to stand beside Kubo. We stood at the shoreline of the lake, and through the thin mist I could see its far reaches. "Woah.." Snowflake breathed beside me.

The lake was huge, and behind it I could see the rise of the lush mountainside. The water was illuminated by moonlight, and I looked up to see the moon had started to shine through the dark clouds that had gathered. The mist almost shimmered in the light, making it a bit harder to see. But still, I could see it; there in the middle of the lake, I could see a small island. Upon it, there seemed to be the ruins of an ancient castle.

"There it is," I murmured, without a hint of doubt. "That's where we need to go."

"The island?!" Sakura turned to me in surprise. "Nobody goes there! It's an ancient and sacred place!"

"Oooh!" Kubo cooed. "That makes it an even more interesting place to explore!"

Sakura puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Well how are we supposed to get there, then? it's way too far out, there's no way we'd be able to swim!"

"I could!" Kubo huffed and crossed his arms.

"You're not going all by yourself, Kubo. You know that." Snowflake said with a shake of her head. "Moss said he knew a way, right?" She asked, turning to me.

I blinked. Oh, yeah. "I'm not completely sure. She didn't get the chance to fully explain before she got cut off, but... I think there's some berry bushes around here that are supposed to help... somehow?"

Sakura hummed. "You mean... Slip berries?" The rest of us turned to her in silent confusion. She shook her head. "Those are the berries with seeds that can... oh." She breathed in realization. "Slip Seeds!" She cried, a grin suddenly stretching across her face. "Of course!"

Before any of us could say anything she ran off, searching along the shoreline. I blinked at Snowflake and Kubo wordlessly before we started after her. Sakura sniffed at many bushes that lined the shore, too wrapped up in her search to explain anything to us. I chased her nervously, looking around to make sure nothing had spotted us. While losing sight of Sakura was less of a problem with the thinner fog, it also meant beasts could spot us. I bit my lip nervously and tried to calm my nerves.

"Here's some!" Sakura called, turning to us proudly. We approached her and the bush she happily displayed. Snowflake eyed it curiously. "So, how are these berries supposed to help us?" She asked.

Sakura grinned slyly. "Your friend is clever to tell you about these," she said, "only pokemon from these parts know about these berries. They have a special power; eating them makes you able to breathe underwater!" She threw her front paws in the air with a flourish. "Cool, huh?"

"That's amazing!" Snowflake exclaimed, but Kubo didn't seem impressed. "I can breathe underwater anyway," he huffed.

"Well we can't!" Snowflake said, turning to him with a huff. "I've never even been underwater before!"

Kubo gasped, turning to her and me with an excited grin. "Wait... that means I can show you guys around!"

"I've actually done it before," Sakura cut in. "Awww," Kubo drawled in disappointment.

I hummed, ignoring their conversation. I stepped forward, grabbing a berry and turning it over in my hands. I peered back up, looking over the water at the island in the middle. The castle was shrouded in fog, making it difficult to make out. I couldn't help but feel a shiver run up my spine. As my anticipation of finally meeting my friend rose, I couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

A splash of water hit me in the face, awakening me from my worries. "Huh?" I gasped, turning around. Kubo cheekily grinned up from the water at me. "Come on guys! Eat up! We got a mysterious friend to save!" He announced proudly, before sinking his head beneath the waves.

I hesitated, but brought the berry up and ate it, picking two more from the bush and handing them to Sakura and Snowflake. Slowly I lowered myself into the water, hesitant about getting the bag wet. That is, until something grabbed my feet out from under me and yanked me into the water. I screeched in fear, thinking it was a Beast, and paddled my arms pathetically.

"Moss!" Snowflake yelped, jumping into the water to try and save me.

Kubo stuck his head out of the water, grinning up at me. "Sorry," he mumbled, clearly not sorry. Snowflake and I glared at him.

"You jerk," I huffed, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. "Ouch!" He yelped, falling back into the water dramatically. "How could you do this to your dear friend!?" He wailed.

RRROOOAAARRR!!! A voice called, silencing us immediately. Sakura, who had been watching us from the shore with a sad smile on her face, was now standing tall and alert, her tail between her legs. With stiff, nervous steps, she moved into the shallow water beside us. "L-let's go, before..." she trailed off.

We all nodded.

Submerging my head beneath the surface was odd, as I held my breath nervously. I watched as Sakura opened her mouth and breathed in the water, the air in her lungs floating away. She sunk down into the water and was able to swim freely alongside Kubo. Snowflake cautiously did the same, and I watched as she sank. I continued to float at the surface, a little afraid of breathing in water. Kubo blinked up at me. "C'mon dude! We got places to be!" He said, his voice a bit muffled.

I experimentally opened my mouth. As the water flooded in and the air bubbled out, I found that I could breathe perfectly fine. It felt weird and wrong, but it was breathable. It was... okay. Slowly, I sunk down to their level.

Snowflake blinked her wide blue eyes, looking around the underwater landscape. "It's... really dark. And I can tell it's only gonna get darker."

Sakura waved a paw dismissively. "Don't worry, I got it covered!" She chirped. "How do you think I was able to see through the fog? I wish I could say it was my impeccable memory, but there's only one thing that could make pokemon bother with living in a place like Misty Valley; foresight!"

Snowflake and Kubo both answered with a chorus of "ooh!" but I had no idea how being 'good at planning' could help you see.

Sakura turned and began swimming, not explaining any further. I continued to ponder her words for a moment, before overhearing Kubo saying, "I had no idea that move had so many uses!"

Oh. Right, the move 'Foresight.' I supposed it must let you know where unseen objects are around you.

The underwater world was not unlike the regular one. Seaweed stretched tall above us, reaching up from the dark depths to the surface like long spindly trees. The lake bed was rocky, and as it slowly descended into the darkness, it felt like looking down into a mountainous canyon.

Water pokemon seemed to actually still live here, unlike the surface where everyone had evacuated. Many Lumineon, Clamperl and Magikarp eyed us curiously as we passed by, but I could tell they weren't especially surprised. I wondered if they knew what was going on right above their heads.

The water grew darker and darker, even though we didn't swim all that much deeper. I anxiously realized that night had finally descended over us, as the light from the surface was gone.

The darkness didn't seem to bother Kubo though, as even though me Sakura and Snowflake all swam at pretty much the same pace, he zoomed around us with surprising grace. "Isn't this cool guys?" He cheered. "We're all swimming together! This is so surreal."

He swam up to Snowflakes side. "How's your first time being completely underwater?" He asked excitedly.

I couldn't see Snowflake's expression from my place behind her, but her tone said it all. "It's... interesting," she said slowly.

"We should totally bring some Slip Seeds back to the guild with us," Kubo continued, clearly not noticing Snowflakes obvious unease. "We could explore underwater dungeons! That'd be so sick!"

He continued to ramble on about the benefits of exploring underwater, but when I swam up beside Snowflake, She turned to me and mumbled in my ear. "I think being here is making me sick," she quipped with an unhappy grin.

I chuckled lightly. "It'll be okay. At least Kubo's enjoying himself."

"Yes... at least there's that," she sighed weakly, stifling a nauseous expression, "but I'm definitely never doing this again."

Slowly the lakebed began rising back up to meet us. "We're getting close, guys!" Sakura called, looking over her shoulder at us.

Our journey was uninterrupted, and as we grew closer and closer to the island, I couldn't help but feel more and more uneasy. It felt as if nothing was waiting for us. I shook my head, determination flashing in my eyes. 'No,' I thought, 'I'm not going to get discouraged now. It'll be fine.'

The ground came up to meet us, and when our feet touched the ground, we began climbing up to the surface. Snowflake coughed out the water hastily, and Sakura shook the water from her fur, spraying it everywhere. Upon breaking the surface, I peered up at the castle that stood before us... and blinked in shock, my eyes going wide.

The castle was more like an old ruin than I had expected. The grey stone walls were caved in and crumbling, and many of the turrets had fallen down completely, smashing through the tall stone wall. Piles of rubble stood tall above my head, and the aged stone was cracked slightly with vines and moss. Needless to say, it was in really bad shape.

"No way..." Sakura said, her voice barely a breath. "This... the castle wasn't like this the last time I saw it. It was old but… all this destruction- its new! It's not because of time." She ambled around, gaping at the crumbled rock with horror. "What kind of pokemon- what kind of monster could do this kind of damage?"

Kubo slunk out of the water behind me, crossing his arms. He hummed and moved forwards into the castle, curiously looking around and leaving the three of us behind as we gaped in awe at the mangled building. Snowflake watched him go with a nervous look in her eye. "Moss... I... I knew those beasts were strong but I had no idea they were capable of this." She breathed, not prying her eyes away from the scene.

I nodded without looking at her, my nerves completely shot. This... didn't bode well.

"Hey guys! I found someone knocked out! It could be her!" Kubo shouted, running out of the destroyed castle and waving us over. Me and Snowflake shared a quick look before we rushed after him, Sakura trailing behind.

It was hard to see through the darkness, but as we clambered over piles of rubble, Kubo managed to lead us into a large room. The ceiling was huge like a cathedral; a human one. It almost resembled a church, if not for the mostly caved-in ceiling and walls. Stained glass windows reflected the moonlight down upon us, tainting it pink and blue. Lying in the middle of the room, amongst the rubble, lay an unconscious pokemon.

I stopped in my tracks upon seeing her, frozen still at the sight. My vision tunneled in on her, so much so that I didn't even notice Snowflake rush by me so she could feel the pokemons pulse. As if we were still underwater, her voice was muffled to me when she spoke. "She's alive," Snowflake sighed in relief, "but we'll need to bring her home to the guild as soon as possible. Who knows how long she's been here like this..."

She was small; smaller than me. She had two long tails that were thin and fragile, with red orbs on the ends that shimmered through the dirt and dust that covered her entire body. She had a similar red gem on her head, but besides that I couldn't see her face, due to her arms wrapping around it protectively. She was covered in cuts and bruises, and had I not been so stricken I would've felt the urge to look away empathetically.

My friend... was this my friend? I managed to take one step forwards before I suddenly snapped out of it. "Wait," I called, making Snowflake and Kubo turn to me, both pausing in their attempt to lift the pokemon onto Snowflakes back.

"My friend... she said someone had been protecting her- someone was helping her hide! There... there should be two pokemon here!" I announced, my fists clenched nervously.

Snowflake and Kubo shared a look of realization. A paw suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to find Sakura smiling weakly up at me. "I'll help you look," she said. I hesitantly nodded, and she immediately ran off. Snowflake and Kubo got back to taking care of the pokemon while I turned and ran, climbing over rubble to get out of the room.

I searched as much of the castle that I could manage. I peeked into rooms whose doors were barred by rocks, but I couldn't enter to search them thoroughly. I grit my teeth, digging through small piles of rocks in fear that she had been buried. By the time I had made my way back into the large cathedral room where Snowflake and Kubo were anxiously waiting, my hands were shaking from use.

I could hear Sakura digging around nearby, and I gripped my bag strap to steady my hands. I couldn't help but think of when that small papery beast had lifted me up into the sky, during our first mission. It was trying to take me somewhere- to abduct me.

A part of me knew... I knew that the injured pokemon was not the one we were looking for. The one I was looking for. And I knew that no matter how much i looked, I wasn’t going to find her. Sakura wasn't going to find her. My friend was gone. She had been taken away, and I had been too late to help her.

I had... failed.

I heard Sakura step up behind me. I could tell from her silence that she had come up empty-handed.

"She's not here." I croaked, trying to hold back the tears that stung at the back of my eyes. "The beasts were after her. There's no way they would've left her behind..."

Snowflake had the injured pokemon balanced on her back as she approached me. Kubo stood at her side to make sure she didn't fall off. Snowflake frowned sadly at me. "Are you sure..? There's a chance-"

"NO!" I shouted, shutting my eyes and hugging my fists to my chest. Everyone was startled into silence. I forced myself to relax, opening my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to look up from the ground. "Sh-she's gone... We failed."

"I knew it."

I blinked, eyes wide as I turned to Sakura in surprise. She was frowning at the ground coldly, disappointed but not surprised. "Those beasts killed my friend. I knew there was no way your friend would survive either." She shook her head, her voice harsh and cold. "It was foolish to come here."

I blinked again, suddenly the tears I had been trying to hold back returned with a vengeance, stinging angrily at my eyes as I glared at her. "What do YOU know!?" I cried, ignoring the angry tears that managed to spill over. "You don't know ANYTHING!!"

Snowflake cut in worriedly, "Moss-"

"No!" I shouted over her, stomping my foot. "I- I won't let this happen! I can still fix this!" I ruffled through my bag, struggling to see through my tears.

I managed to find the Escape Orb, and I stepped up to Kubo, pushing it into his hands. "Here," I said, sniffing and wiping my eyes. "You guys go home with Sakura and the injured pokemon. I'll stay here."

"What!?" Kubo yelped, rearing his head back. "Why would you want to do that!?"

I frowned stubbornly at him. "Remember when that beast tried to abduct me? I'm sure that's what happened to my friend. All I have to do is turn off the Repel, let them take me to her, and then turn the Repel back on so we can escape!" I forced a smile, trying fruitlessly to remain hopeful about my friends fate. "I can still save her!"

"Moss, no!" Snowflake said, shaking her head vehemently. "You don't know if they'll take you to the same place- or if they even abducted her in the first place!"

"Yeah, and you have no idea where they'd take you in the first place! What if you can’t get back? You don’t even know if they want you alive! It's way too dangerous!" Kubo cut in, pushing the Escape Orb back into my paws.

"B-but..." I deflated sadly, despair flooding over me. "How am I... supposed to save her? I promised her that I'd... that she'd... be okay..."

Snowflake and Kubo shared a look, before they both reached forwards and wrapped me up in a hug. I cried softly, unable to keep myself from thinking about how hopeless it was. How could I let this happen? How could I screw this up so badly? How was I supposed to save her now? Was she even still alive?

I promised her that she'd be safe... and I failed her...

"Why is Moss so important to the beasts, anyway?" Sakura asked, her voice coming from somewhere behind me. Kubo pulled away from the hug so he could answer her. I leaned closer to Snowflake as a result.

"We don't know." Kubo said. "The friend we were trying to help... well, she would've had the answers." He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly.

Snowflake lifted her head to speak as well. "We think it has something to do with getting rid of the beasts," she said softly, "or at least, figuring out why they're invading."

Sakura was silent for a moment, prompting me to curiously turn around. I wiped my eyes and blinked over at her. Her brows were furrowed curiously, and her mouth hung open slightly as she gazed at the floor. "... So you... you're trying to stop them." She said, lifting her gaze up to me. I couldn't respond, but whatever it was she saw in my eyes seemed to be all the confirmation she needed.

Sakura nodded to herself. "I don't want anyone to go through what I did. I-... I want to stop them too." I could see a fiery passion suddenly alight in her expression. "Please, let me join you! I want to help save pokemon too!"

Snowflake and Kubo hesitated to accept her, turning to me. I was so drained, however, I couldn't bring myself to care one way or the other. I sighed, my shoulders slouching. "Yeah... fine, sure." I rubbed my arms defeatedly. "Let's just go home. We need to take care of the one pokemon we actually did manage to save."

Snowflake frowned at me sadly, opening her mouth as if to protest. She seemed to think better of it though, and shut it again. I ruffled through my bag and pulled the Escape Orb back out, and then held my free arm out for Kubo to grab. He did, though hesitantly, his expression surprisingly hard for me to read. He seemed almost angry- not at me, but at our situation. I supposed I wasn't the only one that had been overly hopeful about how this would turn out.

Sakura approached us slowly, not feeling entirely welcome by my flippant words. She tilted her head and shifted from foot to foot. Her antsiness made me look up, blinking at her tiredly. Sakura attempted a weak smile. "You saved me too, you know," she said softly.

I blinked, my sadness forgotten for a moment.

"I'm sure I would've died out there if it weren't for you guys." Sakura said, looking away and flushing in embarrassment. "...And I wanted to say that I'm... sorry. For being so blunt and pessimistic about your friend. I... I'm sure she's actually okay, I was just..."

I smiled, and tilted my head. "It's okay. You've been through a lot today."

Sakura smiled back, relieved. "Yeah... I guess I'm not the only one."

I chuckled without humour. I couldn't help but remember how much Sakura had reminded me of myself at first. We had been through similar things- but it was our differences that put me off. Now though, I realized that she was just... dealing with her trauma differently than me. And that was okay. I kind of appreciated it.

I gestured with my head for Sakura to come closer. She stepped up to the three of us, a bit more confident about coming along now.

Wordlessly, Snowflake sidled up beside me and Kubo placed a hand on Sakura's back. Now that we were all together, we could use the Escape Orb to get out of here. Before I broke the orb against the ground, I took one last look at the destroyed castle around us.

The despair and hopelessness that had overtaken me mere minutes ago had been suddenly replaced with a new fire.

I wasn't going to let something like this happen ever again.

With that thought in mind, I threw down the orb. It shattered in a brilliant light, and in the next moment the five of us were warped home, leaving the empty, broken ruins behind.


	7. Chapter 7

When the blinding blue light faded, we suddenly found ourselves back in our guild bedroom. I peered around blearily for a moment, pulling away from Kubo and Snowflake to rub my eyes.

"Where...?" Sakura mused softly, tilting her head curiously.

"This is our room at the guild," Kubo said, pointing her attention to the few features of the room to show her around. I watched him speak to her for a moment, before realizing that Snowflake was no longer standing at my side. I spun around, looking for her worriedly.

Ignoring the rest of us, Snowflake had carried the fallen pokemon we had rescued over to her bed, and slowly let her down onto it. I watched from afar, hesitating to step closer, as she arranged the pokemon into a more comfortable position. Snowflake sighed sadly, deeply worried about the pokemon's well-being. Then she blinked, noticing me as I watched nervously from across the room. She smiled at me and gestured for me to come closer.

I stepped up to them and peered down at the fallen pokemon a little closer. Her pink face was bruised black and blue, and it was twisted up in unconscious pain. I could sympathise with that. So many pokemon were suffering because of these beasts. She didn't deserve this... she seemed so small and fragile...

"I always heard stories," Sakura's voice was suddenly at my side, making me jump out of my thoughts. I turned to her and Kubo, who had joined us in watching the strange pokemon sleep. "Everyone said that an ancient, powerful pokemon lived in that castle on the lake. They said it was our guardian, and that we should never disturb it. But I never imagined that it'd be like... her." Sakura sighed softly, looking away in thought.

She peered back up at us, hesitantly. "Do you think the guild will be able to help her?"

Snowflake nodded, a soft gentleness in her voice. "I'm sure she'll be fine..."

Kubo puffed out his chest seriously. "If she's gonna get the guild's help, they gotta know we're here! C'mon guys, let's go!" We all nodded seriously at that and turned to leave. As I moved to follow Kubo out the door, I noticed that Snowflake wasn't coming with us. I turned back, spotting her still standing in the same place, watching us leave with hesitance in her eyes. The Vulpix lifted a paw to follow us, but bit her lip and stared down at the fallen pokemon. I couldn't help but grin knowingly.

She wanted to protect her.

"It's okay, Snowflake." I said, making her jump to attention. "Huh?"

"It's okay," I repeated, "you can stay here and look after her. We'll get help real quick, okay?" She nodded, relieved, and with that I quickly followed Kubo and Sakura out the door.

The guild was quiet in the late evening, but bedtime was not quite upon us yet. Most of the other apprentices were probably unwinding from their long, tiring adventures. There was no doubt in my mind that we had missed supper. It was no bother to me, though. With or without food, I'd be happy to lie down on my nice comfy bed after this whirlwind of a day.

"Hey, Heliolisk!" Kubo called, spotting the lizard pokemon patrolling the halls. He turned to us, alarmed for a moment.

"Huh? Oh! You two!" He gasped as Kubo, Sakura and I ran up to him.

He blinked at Sakura. "Huh? Who are...?"

"We'll have time for that later!" Kubo announced. "We found an injured pokemon on our mission and we need the nurse to take care of her, stat!" Kubo turned and pointed down the hall to our room.

"Oh goodness!" Heliolisk said worriedly, "I'll need to go wake her! Come, come now!" He started off down a different hallway towards the nurses office, with Kubo quickly at his heels. Sakura and I moved to follow as well, but a voice stopped us in our tracks.

"You two." I flinched. The voice was sharp and it cut through the air powerfully even though it was barely louder than a murmur.

It was the Guildmaster. I slacked my stance and, curious as to why I stopped, Sakura followed suit.

We turned to face her as Serperior slithered up to us, looking down her nose as usual. I gripped my bag and bowed, before standing up tall, trying to look strong. I met her gaze confidently, but the confidence quickly faltered, and I dropped my eyes back to the ground in shame. Something about her face made me feel like she knew... she could tell I had failed my mission.

Sakura peered up at her with an innocent tilt of her head. I could hardly believe the ease with which she met her eyes. "What do you want with us? We have someone we gotta to help right now!" She said, her voice filled with determination.

Serperior shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary. Your friend will be getting all the help they need."

Sakura seemed a little confused, but she said nothing. I stared at the ground pathetically, my shoulders slumped. Serperior was silent for a long moment, and I wondered if she wanted me to meet her eyes again. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't let her see how badly we had messed this us. How badly I had messed this up. I shut my eyes defeatedly, letting my head slump down onto my chest.

"Do not beat yourself up so much." The Guildmaster said, her voice authoritative. I blinked my eyes open, lifting my head. I peered up through my eyelashes at her. "You did everything you could've done. In time, you will find your friend. But for now... you must rest."

I blinked, surprised. Her tone sounded almost like she was giving me orders, but her words were clearly supposed to be comforting. "After all, it was not a total failure. You have saved a life, and..." She paused, turning her attention back to Sakura, who had been quietly watching her in confusion. "you have made a new friend."

Sakura flinched under the sudden acknowledgement. "Um..." She stuttered.

"Who could this new friend be?" Serperior mused to herself, not fully speaking to either of us.

Sakura choked on her words for a moment. I remembered my first time meeting Serperior, and was glad I wasn't the one going through that right now. "U-uh... my name is Sakura. My friend and I-... um, I was attacked by beasts near the Misty Valley, and I would've died if Moss and his team hadn't found me." She turned to me for a moment, and I gave her a small smile of encouragement. She grinned back weakly.

"I helped them through the valley and, well... here I am." She shrugged hopelessly, giving a nervous laugh.

The Guildmaster nodded with a soft hum. She turned back to me again, her expression blank, yet somewhat gentle. "It seems you've saved not one, but two lives today. A definitive success, even if you could not accomplish your goal." She nodded to herself thoughtfully. "I hope you continue to find such success in your future missions."

I gaped at her. She... really thought I had found success? Even though the only person I truly intended to save was lost? Even though I failed my real mission?

Not waiting for a response, Serperior moved as if to leave, but I stuttered out in protest. "W-wait!" She froze, eyeing me blankly. I fumbled my hands, my eyes dropping back to the floor. "Excuse me, Guildmaster. I just... have one question." Serperior did not move, almost as if she didn't hear me. But I could tell somehow that she was simply waiting for me to continue. I paused, but forced myself to speak.

"Sakura wants to help us with finding a way to stop the beasts. She wants to help pokemon who've been hurt like she was." I turned to her, and Sakura smiled brightly. I looked up at Serperior, a bit braver now. "Can she join our team? Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to save anyone."

Sakura stood up tall beside me, feigning confidence again. "I really want to help them," she said, "I promise I'll be useful! I'll do all the training needed, I'll work as hard as you want, I don't care what it is! I want to get stronger and help save others!"

She stood proudly with a confident grin on her face, waiting for the Guildmaster's answer. When the answer failed to come, and silence slowly descended over us, Her ears and tail drooped, and her shouldered hunched anxiously. Her gaze fell to the ground. "I- I swear I know how to fight. My father was a fighting-type pokemon- a Lucario! He trained me since I was little, s-so I'm ready for whatever it is I gotta do as an apprentice!"

Serperior remained silent for another moment, making me fidget nervously. Nobody knew what went on in the Guildmasters mind. Was she going to turn Sakura down? I hadn't even considered...

"If you are unable to meet my expectations, you will have to leave." Her stoic voice finally said, and the two of us jumped and stared up at her in surprise. Wordlessly, Sakura gave a shaky nod.

"You will need to stay in the room across the hall to your teammates. Make yourself at home." With that, she turned to make her leave, but paused for a second. She looked back, her eyes stoney and serious. "Oh, and Moss... That injured pokemon you brought here. Take care of her, because if something happens to her, it will be your responsibility. Understand?"

I stumbled over my words, gasping wordlessly. "Ah-! I- um-" A part of me was relieved that I'd be able to help take care of her. She had been told a lot about my friend and about the beasts. I had a lot to ask her once she woke up, and I didn't want to be kept away from that. But on the other hand... I just couldn't understand Serperior's motives. "Er, of course, Guildmaster!" I finally managed, taking a swift, anxious bow.

Satisfied, Serperior nodded to me before turning and leaving towards the front gates of the guild. Sakura and I watched her go in silence for a moment. We peered at each other quietly. Once she was out of sight, I let out a deep breath of air and slumped over. I didn't realize how tense I had gotten. "So! ...That's our Guildmaster." I said with a shaky laugh.

Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "I'm... not sure if she was nice or not."

"Welcome to the club," I sighed grinning in amusement. Sakura giggled softly. "I guess I really am in the club now, huh?" She smiled at me, genuinely relieved. "For a second there I didn't think she'd say yes!" I hugged my arms and smiled back. I could still feel a weight pressing into my chest, but a small weight was lifted from my shoulders. Hope flickered in my heart.

"We should go check on the others... and tell them the good news." I said gently.

"Yeah," Sakura breathed, "let's go!"

We made our way back down the hallway to the nurse's room. The guild was even quieter now, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was bedtime yet. I didn't want to be tired in the morning...

We turned a corner, and found a pokemon I hadn't seen before walkin down the hallway towards us. He blinked at us, suddenly alert and serious. "Hey! What are the both of you doing out here?" He asked with a deep rumbling voice before stepping up to us. I recognized him as a Haxorus, and he stood tall above the both of us, his large ax-like tusks almost brushing the ceiling above his head. He held a torch in his left hand to ward away the growing darkness.

"We're looking for the nurse," Sakura said, her voice betraying her unease. She pointed down the hall with her paw, "we just brought someone home that was really hurt!"

Haxorus hummed, scratching his chin. "Were you with Heliolisk and that Froakie?" He asked. Sakura and I nodded. "I see..." he mused.

"Well, I suppose I can let you go. But I believe Heliolisk and your friend have already alerted her."

"Oh!" I chirped. "So we've got to go back to our room, then! Thank you, sir." I smiled up at him, but he held out his had to stop me.

"One more thing," he grumbled. I paused, blinking in confusion. He sighed. "You shouldn't be out this late. Things aren't usually like this around here, but ever since our rations got stolen a few days ago, We've been upping the security." He crouched down to eye us seriously. "I've been taken off my team for now, to be the night guard. No apprentice is allowed to leave their room after dark, or else I bring them to the Guildmaster." He looked between us, his glare stony and chilling. "I don't want to see the two of you again, got it?"

Sakura nodded stiffy from beside me. "Y-yep! We hear you loud and clear!" I nodded in agreement, but couldn't force my voice from my throat. This guy... well, I had to give the Guildmaster kudos for choosing the perfect guy to play night guard.

He stepped to the side and turned around, patrolling back down the hallway from which he came. Sakura and I likewise turned tail and ran back down the hallway, finding our way back to the barracks. We didn't speak a word to each other, preferring to just make it back as quickly as possible.

We arrived at our room in a matter of minutes. I opened the door and followed Sakura inside, finding that the room was much more crowded than when we left.

Kubo sat on a stool next to the table, and was the closest to the door. He waved at me and Sakura as we entered the room, but my attention was drawn elsewhere. An unfamiliar pokemon was leaning over Snowflakes bed, bandaging the unconscious pokemon that laid in it. She must've been the nurse, and after my first instinct was to think, 'is that Blissey?' I realized that she was a Chansey. I hummed to myself. Maybe they were related?

The nurse spoke softly with Heliolisk, who stood closeby. He had his arms crossed seriously as he watched her work. Snowflake hovered nervously around the three of them, not wanting to get in the way but dearly wanting to see what was going on.

"Where'd you guys disappear to?" Kubo asked, drawing my attention back to him. Sakura climbed onto another stool to use as a stepping stone up onto the table. She sat on it and collapsed into a heap with an exhausted sigh. Kubo chuckled lightly as I sat on the stool next to him.

"That bad, huh?" He said with a grin.

I smiled and stretched my arms above my head with a sigh. "It was stressful, but everything turned out okay, I think. The Guildmaster says Sakura is allowed on the team!"

"Score!" Kubo cheered, reaching a hand up onto the table to high-five Sakura. She took one look at him before sighing tiredly and rolling over to face away from him. He laughed, "yeah, the Guildmaster really leaves an impression on ya, huh?"

"No kidding," I said, returning my gaze to the nurse as she worked. "For a second there, I thought she'd turn Sakura down."

"Hmmm," Kubo hummed, nodding seriously. "While you were busy getting Sakura recruited, I needed to wake nurse Chansey. And I also had to help carry her equipment. Do you have any idea how heavy that stuff is?"

I laughed softly. "Sorry I couldn't be there to help."

He waved me off, "It's fine. You should've seen Snowflake when we came in. She was so worried!"

I peered over to Snowflake, but she seemed not to hear us. She continued to pace around the nurse and Heliolisk, biting her lip and her ears twitching frantically. "She doesn't look much better now," I noted.

Kubo nodded. "She'll do this all night if we don't stop her." He hummed, scratching his chin with his hand. "When you were knocked out in my house, she kept me up at night with all her worrying. Made me anxious."

I blinked in surprise. "She was like this when I was knocked out?"

He nodded. "Oh, yeah. Man you should've seen her, haha!" He waved to Snowflake, before cupping his mouth and calling to her. "Hey, Snowflake! C'mere!"

She jumped in surprise with a small squeak of surprise. Snowflake turned to us, her brows scrunched up in annoyance. She did not look impressed. Kubo was unfazed, waving her over with gusto. "C'mon!"

Snowflake groaned and rolled her eyes, before dragging herself over to us. She stood just in front of us, her nose turned up and her glare set on the Froakie. "What is it, Kubo?" She huffed.

"You're not gonna pace around all night again, are you?" He asked, a knowing grin slipping onto his face. Snowflake flushed, her annoyance being replaced with embarrassment. Her eyes flickered self-consciously over to me. "W-well I'm just concerned about Mesprit! Is that so bad?" She bit back, her face red.

I perked up. "Mesprit?"

I peered over at the bed, but I couldn't see the fallen pokemon from behind Chansey's back. "Is that her name?" I asked.

Snowflake nodded. "I overheard Heliolisk saying that she must be one of the lake guardians- he called her Mesprit."

"Ooh..." I breathed, leaning back in my stool to try and see around Chansey. Still no luck. "How's she doing, anyway?" I asked, looking back to Snowflake.

She sat on the ground with a tired sigh. "Oh, I hope she'll be okay... Chansey says her wounds aren't to be taken lightly." She turned around to peer over at them as well, wringing her lip in her teeth again.

Kubo's mood seemed to sober up after hearing that. "Man... this sucks." He said crossing his arms, his face stony. "I wish there was more we could do."

Snowflake and I nodded silently. "But all we can do is wait," Snowflake grumbled helplessly.

And wait we did. Snowflake did got get up and begin pacing again, instead she just sat with us, her back turned to she could continue to watch the nurse work from afar. I took a brief moment to peer up at Sakura as she laid curled up on the table. The Skitty was fast asleep, understandably exhausted from the day we just had. I leaned back against the edge of the table, ignoring how uncomfortable it was. Honestly, I envied her. What I wouldn't give to just have the nurse finish her work already, so we could finally get some rest...

I shut my eyes for a moment, letting all the stress and anxiety flow away for just a moment...

I jumped awake to Heliolisks loud voice calling for Sakura to wake up. I blinked, peering around to find Snowflake and Kubo still wide awake watching as Sakura yawned and stood up from her place on the table. I rubbed my heavy eyes and shook my head to try and wake myself up. I must've fallen asleep in my chair. How long had it been..?

"Chansey should probably take a look at you, too." Heliolisk hummed, rubbing his chin as Sakura stumbled off the table. The bandages wrapped around Sakura's body were dirty now from all the digging around we had done when looking for my friend. She could definitely look better.

Sakura shook her head lazily. She was clearly still half asleep. "Later... right now all I need is sleep."

Heliolisk hummed. "Alright, then. Come with me, we'll need to find you a room."

"Guildmaster said I'd be next door," Sakura said, her voice slurring a little from her exhaustion.

"Oh! Well, let me show you to your room, then!" Heliolisk said matter-of-factly. He guided Sakura to the door, before turning to me, Snowflake and Kubo with a nod. "Good night you three. Make sure to get some rest as well," he said, before shutting the door behind him.

We were yet not alone in the room though, as Chansey was still packing up most of her things. As she finished, I found that she still left quite a bit of stuff behind. Probably for convenience. She approached the three of us with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry to make you all wait so long. You're friend is stable for now, and I think she'll be fine as long as she gets the time to rest. It'll take time, but she'll recover." Chansey said, and I could tell that she was tired too. We did wake her up for this, I supposed. I opened my mouth to apologise, but Snowflake spoke over me.

"We'll make sure to take good care of her, ma'am." She said with a bow of her head.

Chansey smiled. "I'm sure you will. But for now, we all need to get some rest. If you need me, I'll tell Haxorus that it's okay for you leave your room, okay?"

I nodded hastily, but Snowflake and Kubo seemed a bit confused at that. Chansey didn't seem to notice their confusion, however. "Good night!" She chirped, before blowing out the last candle still lit in our room, and taking her leave.

As the door closed shut behind her, the three of us sat in the darkness completely at a loss. Unsure of what to do now, I peered between my two friends uneasily.

"Welp," Kubo huffed, "that was an... interesting day." He stood from his stool and stretched his arms. "But I'll be happy to leave it behind us." He concluded, strolling over to his bed and plopping down into it, rolling over so he could lay on his belly, his head propped up by his arms. He smiled at us before gazing curiously at Mesprit.

She looked like a mummy with all the bindings that covered her body. She had a splint on one arm and though she was breathing, it was so shallow that I could hardly see it. I couldn't imagine how much work the nurse had to have done in order to get her stable like this. I felt a sting of regret for wasting so much time searching for my friend when we should've been taking care of Mesprit from the get go. I knew my friend was gone, but my denial did nothing but endanger Mesprit further.

Still... It wasn't all bad. She was recovering- Chansey said she'd be all better eventually. It just took time. I almost smiled, looking into her calm and untroubled sleeping face. Her face had a surprising lack of binding around it, so I could see it clearly. She had a cute, youthful look that I wouldn't have expected from the description Sakura gave. An ancient pokemon, huh...

As me and Snowflake moved away from the table to stand over Mesprit, I noticed Kubo was also still examining her sleeping face. His mouth was agape, and I could tell he didn't realize it. He seemed to entranced by her, and I raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was he seeing that was so interesting? I peered back at Mesprit, but she still looked the same. Was I missing something?

Kubo leaned up and rested his chin in his hands, his elbows holding him up. "She's quite pretty now that she's all cleaned up, huh?" he murmured, his eyes flickering up to me and Snowflake. I tilted my head.

"Yeah, I guess..." I replied, though I failed to hide my confusion.

Snowflake rolled her eyes. "Of course that's the first thing you notice," she said with an incredulous grin. Kubo flushed and frowned at her.

"What's that supposed to mean!" He huffed, which only made Snowflake chuckle wryly. Kubo huffed again and rolled onto his back, crossing his arms as he stared up at the ceiling. "I just..." He sighed. "I just hope she wakes up soon. I wanna know what she knows. This whole business really bugs me."

"Well, I guess we just have to do more waiting, huh?" Snowflake said with a tired grin.

I nodded and crossed my arms. "This better not become a regular thing," I chuckled, before stepping up to my bed and collapsing down on it. I sighed happily, and could already feel sleep creeping along the edges of my mind. I could distantly hear Snowflake laugh at my words, but then she stopped suddenly.

I blinked my eyes open, peering over at her. She stared down at Mesprit, her face blank. For a moment I worried that there was something wrong with the injured pokemon, before Snowflake flushed in embarrassment.

"Ah... Mesprit is using my bed." She whispered awkwardly. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

She looked around, and noticed me watching her. I grinned sympathetically at her. "You can sleep with me for now, if ya want?" I said softly, flushing a little myself at the suggestion.

Snowflake smiled shyly, but complied. She quickly, yet silently, padded over to my bed, standing over me for a moment's hesitation. Her white fur seemed to glow through the darkness. I rolled to face away from her and to give her some room, and she graciously curled up at my side. I could feel her cool fur press up against my back, chilling me a little.

"Good night, Moss," she said, a smile in her voice.

"Night, Snowflake." I replied, my voice drawling a little from exhaustion.

"What, is nobody gonna say goodnight to me?" Kubo's offended voice called from across the room.

"No," I mumbled tiredly.

Kubo gasped dramatically, and said something along the lines of, 'how could you!?' but my mind was already in the middle of drifting away. I smiled sleepily and let my eyes finally slide shut.

For some reason, the soft coolness that radiated from Snowflake was more comforting than anything else I could imagine. Somehow, it managed to banish all worries from my mind. No fear for my friend, no worries about Mesprit, no anxieties about my future, or those beasts. It was just us, and for now, we were safe. I snuggled up closer to Snowflake, feeling her roll against me in return. And finally, after such a long and tiresome day, I managed to drift off into a comfortable sleep.

"Ah... O-ouchh..."

My ear twitched, and then my mind slowly drifted out of the darkness of sleep. It took me a long moment before I was awake enough to discern what the noise was that had awakened me.

"Ah-hooowww... " there was the sound of stifled, wet sniffling, "urrfff..."

I blinked my eyes open, and my ears jumped up, fully alert. Someone was crying- scratch that- more like sobbing.

I lifted my head, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness as I observed my room. It was still the middle of the night, if the moonlight gently shining through the window had anything to say. I rolled onto my back to peer at Snowflake, who was sleeping soundlessly at my side. Absently, I placed a hand on her shoulder to pet her fur comfortingly. I raised my eyes in continued search of the crying, and realized that the figure curled up on Snowflakes bed was twisting and turning in pain.

Mesprit...! She was awake!

I stumbled to my feet, much more awake now. I moved quickly yet quietly to her bed, bending down to peer closely at her. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain, with pearls of tears trailing down her wet cheeks. She didn't seem to have noticed that I was there, as her head was tucked down under her arms as she twisted and turned painfully. I looked her over, but none of her bandages seemed to be bleeding through. I had no idea what was wrong, or how to comfort her. All I could think to do was place a very light hand down on her trembling shoulder.

"Hah!" She hissed in shock and pain, flinching away from my touch. But that movement only managed to pain her further, and she cringed, curling up tighter on herself. Still, she was fearfully aware of my presence now, and despite herself, she pried her eyes open to squint through her tears at me.

To my shock, her eyes seemed to glow through the darkness, shimmering a bright, vibrant amber colour. I forgot myself for a moment, gaping at the wondrous sight. I had to admit... I found it a lot easier to imagine her as a mysterious, mythical guardian now.

"Wh-... where...?" She croaked softly, wincing at the very act of speaking. "Where... a-am...?"

I wanted to comfort her, but I knew my touch would do nothing but hurt her. "You're safe- don't worry. We came to help you as quickly as we could." She blinked at me blankly, and I could tell she had a million questions that she was not well enough to ask. I cleared my throat nervously. "My name is Moss... I assume you've... heard of me?"

She managed a small shakey nod. I sighed in relief. She- too- seemed a bit less anxious knowing that she was in my presence. I wasn't a total stranger, at the very least. "Is there anything... I can do you help?" I asked softly. I just wanted to help...

"W-water," she breathed, her voice raspy. She shut her eyes and whined, trying to hold down her groans of pain. "P-please... make it stop..."

I hummed seriously. I wasn't sure if this world had anything like painkillers, but I could- at the very least- get her something to drink. "Just hold tight, okay? I'll be back as soon as possible."

I stood and turned, rushing out of the room as quietly as possible. It would be faster to do this by myself. The only place I could think of to go was the kitchen, where surely there was some water sitting around. I ran through the hallways as swiftly as possible, but on my travels I failed to remember something very important. Before I could realize what was happening, a vice-grip had locked around my wrist and had lifted me into the air.

"Waah!" I gasped, struggling helplessly. What...?

I craned my neck to look at the figure that was hovering over me, finding it to be the same Haxorus I encountered earlier. "o-oh! You!" I gasped, but before I could ask him for help, he growled.

"What did I tell you, kid? I said I didn't want to see you again!" He snarled, adjusting his grip on my arm and wrapping his arm around my chest instead. "we're going to the Guildmaster." He huffed gruffly.

"W-wait! Nurse Chansey said it was okay for me and my team to leave our rooms!" I struggled under his grasp, but he didn't even budge. "We have a patient to take care of- and she needs water and painkillers!"

He didn't stop walking, but he hummed in acknowledgement. "Hm. Now that I think about it, I suppose she did mention something like that to me..." He thought for a moment, finally pausing his movements. Then without warning, he ungraciously dropped me on the ground.

"Ouch!" I yelped.

"Shh!" He hissed, "We don't need you waking anybody else. C'mon. I'll bring you what you need."

And with that he began to walk off again. I stood, rubbing my behind grumpily. 'Maybe I wouldn't've yelped if you hadn't just dropped me from so high up,' I thought with a huff, but quickly scampered after him. Every one step for him was three steps for me, and I struggled to keep pace with him.

Haxorus lead me down a hallway that lead to the Nurses office, and to my surprise, he lead me inside. Chansey was sitting at a table, a single candle illuminating her work as she seemed to be writing something on a piece of paper. She blinked in surprise to see me and Haxorus enter her room. "Huh? What is it? Is there something wrong with our patient?" She asked worriedly, moving out of her chair.

"This boy needs water and painkillers," Haxorus said, his deep voice rumbling powerfully, "he said you authorized him to leave his room." While it wasn't worded like a question, I could tell it was. I wondered why he felt the need to ask, when surely he already knew the answer.

"Oh yes, yes of course," Chansey said, waving her hand flippantly. Her gaze was not on us as she spoke, already rummaging through her room for the pills she needed. "I'm surprised she's already awake! That means she's doing even better than I expected," Chansey said happily, pulling a small container from one of her cupboards. "Here it is," She mumbled softly.

Haxorus and I continued to stand at the door, watching as she moved about. I started to feel antsy, shifting from foot to foot as I watched. I needed to get back...

"Now, don't be afraid to come get more help if you need it, okay?" Chansey sang, suddenly stepping in front of me. I jumped, craning my neck just to be able to look her in the face.

"R-right," I stuttered, caught a bit off guard. Chansey handed me the items, and I held the cup of water sturdily in one paw and the two small pills in the other. I bowed my head, "Thank you, doctor." I mumbled, before turning and leaving. From behind me, I heard Haxorus thank her for her time, before his heavy footsteps followed after mine. It didn't take long for him to catch up with me.

I turned to him. "What?" I asked, a bit confused. Couldn't he see the situation was under control now?

"I need to escort you back to your room," he grumbled, "I can't have pokemon running around the guild without supervision."

I huffed, looking away from him. "Fine, but I'm not doing anything wrong. I just want to help my... friend."

"I know." He said, and I peered back up at him in surprise. That almost sounded... sympathetic? He shook his head with a tired sigh. "I'm sorry." He said curtly, frowning at me. "I don't mean to be so short with you. I just hate that the Guildmaster seated me with this dumb job."

I breathed in amusement, grinning back up at him wryly. "Yeah... I guess you don't get much sleep, huh?"

He nodded, "you don't know the half of it, kid."

We reached my room, and I paused long enough before entering to wave goodbye to him. He waved back and continued walking down the hallway, ready to get back to his patrolling. I shut the door and turned around, peering over at Snowflakes bed. From across the room I could see Mesprit's eyes glowing softly, staring back at me. I could see pain in her eyes, and felt empowered, knowing that I'd be able to make it go away now.

I stepped up to her, wordlessly showing her the pills. She clenched her teeth, struggling to open her mouth. I put the cup of water down to help her shift into a position more suitable for eating. She breathed heavily, but once she was able to calm down and hold her mouth open, I placed the pills on her tongue and handed her the cup. Her hands shook so badly that I needed to help support them, but once she managed to take a sip and swallow the pills, she seemed to immediately calm down.

With a deep sigh, she flopped back down onto the bed, relief filling her eyes. She laid on her back and stared up at me, wiping her wet cheeks with the backs of her hands. Slowly, I could see a shaky, thankful smile stretch across her cheeks. "Moss..." She breathed, before her eyes slowly fell shut.

I blinked down at her, watching as her breathing became slow and relaxed. Hopefully, now she'd be able to sleep comfortably. I placed the cup on the table and made my way back to my bed. Snowflake had stretched out across it in the time I had been missing, and I chuckled softly at that. I gently pushed her aside and rolled up next to her. She sighed, but didn't awaken.

I peered around the darkness of my room, wondering how long it'd be until morning. As long as Mesprit got a good sleep, I supposed it didn't matter. She was the only hope we had of finding my friend, but more than that, she was someone we had managed to save, if no one else. The Guildmasters words whispered through my mind.

We hadn't failed, not entirely. Mesprit was here, and she was alive. She was going to get better. We managed to do some good in the world.

'Hold on, my friend. We'll be able to save you too... I'm sure of it.'


	8. Chapter 8

I drifted awake as I felt something poke at my ear. I twitched away from the touch, huffing tiredly. The annoying touch came again, this time lightly pulling on my ear. I groaned and moved my head away, lifting it up and blinking drearily at whatever had awoken me.

Two incredibly smug grins stared back at me.

I yelped, jumping up into a seated position and promptly falling backwards over Snowflake, who had been curled up behind me. "Whuh?" Snowflake groaned, lifting her head to find me doubled over her back. She turned to look at what had startled me, and found Sakura and Lycanroc smirking at us.

"Morning, lovebirds!" Lycanroc snickered, standing up tall with her arms crossed confidently. "I was so worried about you guys. I thought you'd come back badly hurt- or worse: not at all- but instead you come back with this little scamp," she ruffled the fur on Sakura's head, making the Skitty giggle softly, "and you saved the pokemon you were after! I'm impressed."

She turned and moved to wake up Kubo, still speaking casually to us. "Though I must say, I didn't expect you'd get all lovey-dovey on us~!" She sang teasingly, before bending down and shaking Kubo's shoulder to awaken him. "Wake up, little dude! It's morning!"

I managed to clamber off of Snowflakes back, the both of us flushing in embarrassment. Sakura didn't seem at all sympathetic, grinning at us knowingly. I blushed deeper. What was that look for? "We're not..." I stuttered, unable to finish the sentence.

"How's Mesprit doing?" Kubo's voice cut through my flustered thoughts. I peered over at him as he climbed out of bed to stand next to Mesprit, fretting over her as she slept. I tilted my head, curious as to why he was so worried.

'Well, why wouldn't he be,' I reasoned. 'She's badly hurt after all.'

"Give her some space, Kubo," Snowflake said, putting on a mask of stoicism when she was obviously still a bit flustered by Lycanroc's words. She stepped up beside Kubo and lightly pushed him aside so she could look the sleeping legendary pokemon over. He hovered at her side, blinking his wide eyes worriedly. Me and Sakura continued to watch from a small distance, and Lycanroc peered over Kubo and Snowflakes heads to have a look at Mesprit herself. The rock-type whistled.

"Dang, she's in bad shape. I'm surprised you guys didn't also get roughed up." Lycanroc mused.

Snowflake sighed and moved away, shaking her head. "She was knocked out when we got there, we were lucky enough to not need to face whatever did this to her."

I huffed, crossing my arms. Lycanroc turned to look at me from the corner of her eye. "It wasn't luck. We should've been there. Then we could've saved... my friend."

"You mean this isn't your friend?" Lycanroc asked in confusion. I shook my head. "Huh," she hummed at that, scratching her chin.

She shook her head and grinned. "Well, I've got to wake up the other guild members. See you guys!" She sang, skipping over to the door and shutting it behind herself.

I sighed, lying back down onto my bed tiredly. I stared up at the ceiling and passively listened to my friends as they chatted.

"So... Is she okay?" Kubo asked, using a laid-back tone in order to mask his unease.

"Yes, she seems like she's doing alright." Snowflake said gently. "I'm not much of a doctor, though. Maybe we should get the-"

"-We should go buy some medicine for her! I know a shop in town that sells herbs that could be helpful!" Kubo cut in hastily.

"Is that really necessary?" Sakura piped up, her voice getting more distant as she approached the two. "I'm sure the guild-"

"C'mon guys! They put her under our care! We should be prepared! Plus we don't even know if the nurse is awake!" I found myself grinning slightly at his insistence. I didn't expect Kubo to take this so seriously.

I could hear Snowflake sigh, and I grinned wider. Kubo always seemed to tire her out. "Okay okay..." she paused. "Moss? What do you think about this?" She paused again. "Moss? What are you doing?"

I lifted my head to peer over at them, but I wasn't fast enough to prepare for the figure that was rapidly approaching. "Oof!" I gasped as Sakura shamelessly jumped and slammed into my stomach.

"C'mon, Moss! I thought Lycanroc and I did a good job of waking you up." She frowned at me. I gasped and swatted her away with one paw. She jumped off me with an amused huff. I curled up in a ball and glared at her. "Well, you did a good job just now, alright?"

Sakura sniggered. Kubo crossed his arms from his place beside Mesprit's bed. "This is serious, guys! Don't you want to help Mesprit?"

I nodded, pulling myself from the bed and rubbing my stomach absently. "Of course, Kubo." I said. "C'mon, let's go get some medicine."

His face lit up at my words, and he immediately bounded out the door. Snowflake shook her head but followed after him. As she passed by Sakura, she frowned at her. "Sakura, can you stay here and watch Mesprit? In case she wakes up." The Skitty tilted her head in confusion, but ultimately nodded. "Sure..."

I followed Snowflake out the door, and as we slowly followed Kubo out of the guild, Snowflake smiled apologetically at me. "Are you alright?" She asked. I frowned. "Huh?" She rolled her eyes, amused, and looked away. "Of course, you are. Sakura probably isn't even that heavy, huh?"

I blinked in realization. "Oh, ahaha, well... no, but that doesn't mean it was pleasant." I laughed, awkwardly scratching at the back of my head. Snowflake laughed too, and I could see her blush slightly. I smiled to myself, looking away.

Suddenly, a thought came to my mind. Did Snowflake ask Sakura to stay behind because she thought she had hurt me?

When we caught up to Kubo, he was pacing back and forth in front of the gate. He jumped at our arrival. "Come on guys, every minute counts, she could wake up at any moment! We gotta hurry!" He turned and scampered away, climbing up the incline of the mountain, and for a moment all Snowflake and I did was peer curiously at each other.

"Is it just me, or is he acting weird?" I asked. Snowflake giggled and smiled sympathetically. "C'mon," she said instead of answering, and quickly ran off after him. I frowned, confused, but shortly ran after her.

The town was just as lush and colourful as ever, but in the early morning sun, it had a sluggish air to it as well. Dew dotted the leaves of every tree and bush, and the few pokemon we passed were tiredly rubbing at their eyes. Everyone seemed half asleep. One particular Zorua even seemed annoyed when it saw me and Snowflake run past, almost as if it was jealous of our energetic pace.

Overall, the town was very quiet. Many pokemon were still sleeping and the cool mountainous air was refreshing. A part of me wanted to slow down and appreciate the calm silence of the morning, but if I fell behind, I'd undoubtedly get lost. When Kubo suddenly stopped, Snowflake and I almost came crashing into him. Luckily We managed to slide to a halt, but in my exhaustion, I didn't manage to keep my balance. Tripping over my own feet, I fell onto my face, panting tiredly. Why did this shop have to be up the hill? Snowflake bent down to lift me up, and I wrapped my arm around her neck to pull myself to my feet.

Kubo shook his head and tsked as he looked at us. "You two really need to train more." The only reply he got was a glare from Snowflake. He pouted back.

"Aaaanyway," he said dramatically, turning to present the building that stood behind him, "here's the Pharmacy."

The small building was partially built into the side of the mountain, and had bushes lining its sides. It had elegant little carvings of flowers and trees in the wood around the door frame. I was impressed. What kind of pokemon could make something so detailed and delicate?

Kubo dramatically held the door open for us, ushering us in as if he was a butler of some sort. Snowflake lead me inside, and I peered around the small front office curiously. Behind a counter stood an Audino, her elbows on the hardwood and her head in her hands. Upon our entrance, she stifled a yawn and smiled at us. "Good morning!" She said with artificial enthusiasm. "How can I help you?"

"Good morning," Snowflake said politely, "We would like some pain medication, to help with physical injuries?"

Audino nodded attentively. "I've got just the thing," She said, turning and rummaging through the contents on the shelf behind the desk. "These herbs help with fast recovery and pain relief. Ah, here we are!" She turned again, placing a bag on the counter. It seemed to be filled with leaves or petals of some kind. "These should be drunk as a tea everyday. The taste is a little bitter, but it must be drunk to take effect."

Kubo jumped up to the counter to grab the bag, placing some Poké in return. He jumped back onto the floor and rushed out the door without a word. I raised an eyebrow after him, and Snowflake sighed. "Thank you, miss." She said. Audino nodded with an amused grin. "Don't worry. He's been in here many times." She said with a wink. With that, Snowflake and I followed Kubo out the door. To my dismay, he immediately ran off, and I groaned. We would have to run after him again to keep up.

At least it was downhill this time.

When we finally slipped back into our room, we found Sakura sitting next to Mesprit. She was sitting up- awake- in her bed. She looked almost comical, sitting up as if perfectly fine, yet her body was wrapped up like a mummy. If it weren't for her bandages and bruises, she would look completely fine. She and Sakura seemed to have been chatting, but fell silent at our arrival. My heart lurched anxiously as I realized that we'd soon be able to ask her about everything she knew.

"oh, we were too late!" Kubo lamented, rushing up to her side. He gazed at Mesprit with wide, worried eyes. "How-" he cut himself off, suddenly realizing who he was talking to. He stuttered awkwardly, diverting his gaze. "H-how are you feeling?" He asked, flustered.

I blinked. Where did this come from?

"I... I'm fine." Mesprit said, her voice soft and emotionless. She stared at him curiously, making Kubos face turn a bright red. Turning his head away, he croaked out a, "t-that's good," before shying away.

As Snowflake and I joined the others and stood around Mesprit, Kubo strangely went from trying to be the center of attention to now bashfully hiding behind my back, as if fearful of Mesprit's attention. I blinked at him, before turning to peer at Mesprit.

Her eyes still seemed to glow, the vibrant amber colour still shining brightly even in the daylight. She stared back at me, her eyes sturdy and scrutinizing. I felt frozen under her gaze. Something about it was... overwhelming; perhaps even entrancing. Maybe that's what had startled Kubo?

"Um... Mesprit?" Mesprit and I turned to peer over at Snowflake, whose voice was soft and filled with concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Mesprit blinked her wide, amber eyes, and I realized suddenly that I had no idea how to read her emotions. She hid them flawlessly.

"Yes, I am quite fine." She said softly. "It appears that we have not been properly introduced." She looked back at me. "I know your name," she then turned her head smoothly, gazing at Sakura, "and I know your's now too, but..."

With curiosity in her eyes, she leaned to the side as if to look behind me. "Who is this?" She asked.

Kubo made a small, anxious noise, but still stepped out from behind me and moved to my side instead. I raised an eyebrow at the soft blush on his face. "I'm Kubo," he said, shyly meeting her gaze. Then he suddenly seemed to regain his confidence, as he raised the bag of herbs into the air victoriously. "I got you something to help with your recovery!" He announced, stepping up to her and showing her the leaves. "It's tea!"

Mesprit blinked down at the medicine for a moment, before reaching out a hand to hold it. He happily placed it in her hand and she lifted it up to analyze it. "...Thank you," She said. She smiled politely at him, which make him puff himself up confidently.

"Of course!" He said, clearly very pleased with himself.

Mesprit then turned to Snowflake. Once again, curiosity shone in her eyes. "What's your name?" She asked.

Snowflake seemed a bit too concerned to smile, but there was kindness in her eyes as she responded. "My name is Snowflake," she said, "um, do you need something to eat? I'm sure you're starving."

Mesprit shook her head. "I'm fine." She said again. "There's more important things for us to worry about, after all."

My heart lurched again. Oh god, I wasn't sure I was really ready for us to talk about this. Beating around the bush was much easier on my heart. Why couldn't Mesprit let us procrastinate on it a little more? Was it really that serious?

Snowflake seemed a little off-put by Mesprit's response, but Sakura nodded. "Yeah, me and Mesprit were talking before you guys got here. She didn't want to tell me everything until you guys showed up, but it sounds pretty important to me."

Snowflake huffed, and sat down to listen. I followed suit and Kubo plopped down at my side, crossing his legs with an uneasy look on his face. I could see him try to say something, but for some reason he couldn't.

"I'm not sure where to start..." Mesprit admitted, grinning apologetically. Sakura smiled at her, and I was a bit surprised at how familiar her gaze already was. I couldn't help but wonder what Sakura was thinking. This was, after all, the guardian she had been told stories about all her life. Perhaps, in a way, she felt like she already knew her.

"How about you tell us how you got here?" Sakura suggested. Mesprit turned to her curiously. "The beasts?" Sakura nodded.

"Yes, well... I suppose." Mesprit took a deep breath, and then looked at each of us, her gaze hard and serious. I could hardly believe she was the same pokemon who had been crying in pain last night, she seemed so mysterious and powerful now...

"For a while now, I could feel something foreboding in the air. But, as the nature of my job pertains, I am incapable of leaving my home. I am it's guardian after all, so I was unable to investigate the bad feeling in my gut." Mesprit shivered and crossed her arms. "Then the beasts began to show up. And as the beasts started to come in greater and greater numbers, it was all I could do to keep them away from my castle. But then..."

She peered up at me, and I almost jumped. Her eyes seemed to bore into me. "The one who told me of you showed up. She came to me for protection, and I was happy to oblige."

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but it stubbornly remained. Still, I managed to speak. "What... what's her name?" I asked.

Mesprit smiled softly, and I could see pity in her eyes. "Cosmog told me of many things, including your amnesia. I didn't realize she had failed to reintroduce herself, however."

Cosmog... so that was her name... I searched through my memory in hopes of remembering what kind of pokemon that was... but I found nothing. I was no more closer to figuring out her identity that before. At least I had a name to attach to the voice, now. Cosmog...

"I was glad to have saved her, especially since she knew what was going on in the world. Finally, I understood where the beasts were coming from." Mesprit continued, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Really?" I breathed, "where?"

"They have been sent here from another world. A world that has been sealed away from us long ago. But since the beasts are now showing up, there is no doubt. The seals have been broken, and now they are dominating our world." Mesprit shut her eyes, her face calm yet filled with grief.

"So that's how they got here... If we could seal them away again, that'd save the world, right?" Sakura asked softly. Mesprit hesitated to answer her.

Snowflake shifted at my side, her own question in mind. "You said... the beasts were 'sent' here, correct?" She asked. Mesprit nodded, not opening her eyes. "Who... is sending them?"

The legendary sighed, as if weighed down by the knowledge. "Cosmog spoke of him very infrequently, I could tell that she was too afraid, so I never pushed her. But I do know this..." She opened her eyes, her gaze roving over us. "His name is Necrozma. He is a monstrous creature that intends to destroy our world by stealing all our light, and leaving us in eternal darkness."

She shifted a little, her serious expression breaking into anger for a moment before she steeled herself again. "He cannot do so, however, until he... well..." She frowned angrily again, her eyes drifting to the floor. "Cosmog didn't want to tell me everything, but she told me that he needs her to accomplish his goal. That's why he was after her."

My eyes went wide. 'And now he's captured her,' I thought helplessly, a sick feeling in my gut.

We all sat in grim silence for a moment, taking in what she told us. I felt myself choking up. I couldn't breathe. Or speak. I had no idea what this Necrozma looked like, but...

I remembered the huge, red beast that I had encountered multiple times. It was following Necrozmas orders, right? So that meant that he was undoubtedly bigger, stronger, smarter...

We were up against something as dangerous as that?

Suddenly, Kubo spoke up. "Why is Moss involved in all this, then?"

I jumped up, my eyes going wide again. Yes... with all the beasts that were after me, that meant that Necrozma wanted something from me, too. I stared desperately at her, and Mesprit slowly moved to peer back at me. Her eyes glimmered mystically. She smiled, sympathy in her amber eyes.

"I admit, I'm not quite sure... But she often spoke very highly of you." Mesprit looked away, smiling sadly to herself at the memories. "She said that without you, she was alone in this fight. That without your help, there was no hope of winning." She turned to look at me, and I blinked in surprise at how warm her eyes were. "When the seals broke and the beasts came into our world, she knew that you were the only one who could help her."

She didn't take her eyes off me the entire time she spoke. I had no idea what made Cosmog think I was so special. What could I do? I hadn't even been able to save her from the beasts. I was nothing special...

"She brought you to this world because she needed your help, but something went wrong..." Mesprit continued, and I blinked at her. Cosmog... had brought me here? "The two of you were separated... and you were changed from human to pokemon... she didn't tell me how that happened to you, and honestly I don't even know if she completely understood why..."

"But I do know one thing," Mesprit paused, and I waited for her to speak with bated breath. She gazed at me for a moment. "When Cosmog spoke of you, I didn't know whether to trust in her faith or not. But now that I've met you..." Her eeys twinkled happily, "I can tell that you really are the hero she made you out to be."

At that, everyone fell into silence. but slowly I realized that everyone's eyes had fallen on me. I flushed in embarrassment, despite my shock. I... how was I supposed to take this?

What made Cosmog choose to bring me here? Did we know each other? Was I really that special? But I was weak- and a failure... wasn't I?

It was almost as if Mesprit had read my thoughts, as she reached out a hand and lightly placed it on my shoulder. "Do not worry, Moss. There's still a chance to save her. Necrozma did not want her dead." She smiled encouragingly, her eyes asking me to cheer up.

I managed a weak smile in return. "I suppose that's comforting," I chuckled without humour.

"What do you mean! That's great news!" Kubo announced jovially, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and slinging me to his side. "We haven't lost now and we won't lose in the end either! After all, we have you here to help us, don't we?" He grinned slyly at me, making me flush in embarrassment.

"I doubt I'm really all that special! I can barely even do anything!" I felt the need to protest.

Sakura grinned, "Well, I don't know what a human is, but I'm sure you being one is an advantage. Humans must have some really cool superpowers, right?" She leaned in closer, as if she'd find something unusual about me. I squirmed under her gaze and ducked my head out from under Kubo's arm.

"No, humans aren't special at all!" I huffed, crossing my arms.

"Well, they're special to us," Snowflake said softly, making me turn to face her. She smiled warmly at me, almost as if she was... proud of me? "There are no humans in this world. That makes you pretty special, don't you think?"

I huffed, puffing out my cheeks. "I-... I guess so..."

Snowflake smiled, and seemed inclined to say more, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Moss?" Heliolisk's voice made me turn, and as he opened the door he stepped inside with an air of professionalism. He placed both hands politely behind his back.

"Y-yes?" I asked curiously.

"The Guildmaster wishes to speak with you immediately. I must inquire that you follow me." He replied, his head held high and proud.

He was acting especially formal, so I imagined the Guildmaster made him believe this to be particularly important. So I nodded, and pulled myself to my feet. Kubo jumped to his feet as well, an excited look on his face.

"I know! I'll make Mesprit the tea!" He turned to Mesprit, and his excitement froze for a moment. He seemed to stutter a little, before saying in a much softer voice, "would you like that?" He asked.

Mesprit giggled, but shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I'm perfectly fine!" Kubo deflated sadly.

Snowflake frowned, troubled by her flippant behaviour. "No, you're still very injured! I think the tea would be a great idea." She turned to the Froakie. "You should make it, Kubo."

Mesprit sighed, but didn't argue. Kubo jumped up excitedly again. "You'll really like it, I got it just for you after all!" And with that, he linked his arm with mine and pulled me to the door, where Heliolisk was waiting. I frowned at him in confusion. He sure was jumping around a lot lately, huh? Heliolisk peered down at us.

"well, if we're going now, I shall take you to the Guildmaster." He said impatiently.

I nodded up at him with an apologetic smile, before Kubo happily pulled me out the door.

Guildmaster Serperiors room was surprisingly different from what I expected. While it was clean- like I expected it to be- it wasn't boring or barren. Instead, it had various nick nacks lying around and on shelves, as well as many expensive-looking items. As Heliolisk guided me into the room, I found Serperior sitting tall and proud as always in the middle of the room, coiled up on a large, soft rug. I cleared my throat nervously. I always felt studied when under her empty gaze.

"Moss," she said, her voice serious, yet strangely warm. "How is... Mesprit?"

I jumped, surprised by the question. I wasn't sure what she had called me here for, but for some reason I didn't expect it to be about her. I supposed it made sense. It wasn't very often you had a legendary under your roof, after all. "U-um, well she's awake and she seems to be doing okay." I paused, unsure of what else to say. "We were just talking with her, actually."

Serperior hummed. "That is good." She looked away from me for a moment, her tail dragging lazily across her soft rug. "You see, as her health is you and your team's responsibility, I have decided to give you time off of training. As long as she is bedridden, you are permitted to forgo any missions that would otherwise be mandatory."

I blinked in surprise. "T-thank you, Guildmaster," I stuttered, hastily taking a bow. She seemed satisfied with this, and her only response was to eye me closely. I frowned, confused. That was it? She could have simply told Heliolisk to tell that to me...

Likewise thinking this her inclination that I should leave, Heliolisk jumped into action. "Now, Moss, the Guildmaster is very busy-"

Impulsively, I cut over him, "Guildmaster, is that truly all you wished to say to me?"

Heliolisk froze, completely flabbergasted by my bold act of speaking to the Guildmaster without permission. I myself was a but startled, and I laughed awkwardly. "I- I mean, um..."

But Serperior did not seem upset by my actions. Instead, to my incredible disbelief, she smiled softly. Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she smiled down at me, and she shook her head as if to dispel my unease.

"You are indeed correct," she said, her smile dropping into something more relaxed. "I did not call you here simply to tell you that." The smile did not disappear. Instead, she smiled down at me, her head still held high, but something about her eyes... they made me feel as if she no longer saw herself as above me.

Serperior peered at Heliolisk for a moment, and the electric-type immediately calmed down. I could only assume the wordless exchange they shared told him there was no reason to be upset. The Guildmaster returned her attention to me. "Tell me, Moss... did Mesprit have any important news about this 'Beast Crisis' we are currently facing?"

Oh. I almost felt the need to hit myself in the head in irritation at my own obliviousness. Of course! That's what this was about.

I held my hands behind my back nervously instead. "Yes, she did."

Serperior tilted her head, but did not say anything. Her smile was now gone, hidden behind a new look of impassivity.

"She said the beasts are able to get into our world because of some sort of... seal that has broken." I repeated Mesprit's words, finding it almost unreal. I hadn't been given enough time to let the information sink in yet. How was I the key to all of this? Why did the beasts want me? "They come from another world, and now that the seal is broken, they are able to freely come and go." I paused and peered up at her, curious of her response.

She seemed almost to have not heard me, but as I finished, she nodded slightly. "I see. It would be of vital importance that our guild research this 'seal,' and how it is to be reactivated." She eyed Heliolisk critically.

"Oh, right!" He yelped, grasping his clipboard and writing down her words.

She turned back to me and continued her thought. "It shall be important to learn how it is these creatures travel between worlds, and how this seal is capable of stopping them. It is also important to find out why they are invading." She eyed me. "Is it pooible that they have a goal?"

I hesitated. Should I tell her? If she knew they were after me, would she think me too much of a risk to keep around? Would she kick me out of the guild?

I shook my head. No, no... Explorers were supposed to help others in need. Plus, if I told her about Necrozma, there was no way she'd kick me out, right? If he caught me, he'd be able to take all the light from the world. In that case, they'd be determined to keep me safe, right? But then, if that happened, would they force me to stay in hiding, unable to go and save Cosmog? She needed me! I couldn't hide away like a coward!

Serperior seemed to take notice of my prolonged silence. She hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps... Mesprit does not know this?"

I jumped out of my thoughts, and peered guiltily up at her. Was she... giving me an out?

"W-well... if she does, she hasn't gotten the chance to tell us yet." I mumbled, smiling up at her fearfully.

Serperior nodded knowingly, and I couldn't help but wonder if she truly knew what it was that went through my head. "I see. Well, if the time comes, I would find it very useful information." She concluded, lowering her head to look more directly at me. "You are free to go."

I bowed hastily. "T-thank you, Guildmaster. I will do all I can to help find a way to stop the beasts."

She nodded, but didn't speak any further. Taking the hint, I turned and stepped out of her room. Upon shutting the door behind me, I took the time to take a deep breath. I pressed a paw into my chest, feeling my heartbeat. My heart was pounding a little too hard for how calm the conversation had been. I wasn't sure if I had made the right choice about lying to her, but a part of me felt like she understood. Maybe she knew I needed more time to mull this over.

Whatever it was, I supposed I should just be thankful. I stepped away from the door, wondering where to go. I supposed that I'd return to my room, but then I remembered Kubo. I wasn't sure if he'd be done making the tea yet or not, so I decided to go and check on him. I jogged to the dining area, and the kitchen that was situated closeby.

"Kubo?" I called, peering curiously around the room for him. I found him boiling water in a small pot over a fire pit. It was about the size of a teapot, I supposed, but it wasn't shaped like one. Kubo glanced up at me upon my entrance, an enthusiastic grin jumping onto his face immediately.

"Hey, dude!" He called cheerily. He hopped over to me to slap me on the back amicably. "How was the chat with the Guildmaster? She didn't eat ya, did she?"

"Obviously," I replied tiredly, but smiled anyway. He hopped back to his pot and peered inside.

"i'm not so great at using fire." He gestured to himself, as if that was explanation enough. I supposed it was. "But the pokemon who usually cooks is out on a mission, so I had to do it myself. Which is why it's taking sooo looong." He huffed in annoyance and grabbed a stick to poke at the logs that crackled in the fire.

"Well, I can't help you there," I said with a grin as I stepped over to him. "Grass types don't get along with fire either."

Kubo laughed. "That's one thing we have in common," he said, but quickly became despondent. "How am I supposed to make tea for Mesprit if I can't cook the water?"

I peered closer, and noted how the water seemed to simmer slightly. I hummed thoughtfully. "You're not doing too bad."

He lit up at that. "Really?" he asked, his eyes shimmering hopefully. I nodded, but couldn't help but be surprised by how emotional he was. All of a sudden his emotions were going all over the place. Why was that?

"We should grab the herbs and get ready to finish the tea." I said, turning to peer around. As if pulling it out of thin air, Kubo held up the bag of tea leaves.

"Okay!" He said cheerily, standing up tall to sprinkle the leaves into the pot.

As he did so, I heard someone clear their throat from behind me, making me jump. "Wah!" Turning around in shock, I found that Heliolisk had suddenly appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

"Hello boys," he said, his eyes narrow and serious. I found myself surprised by his demeanour. Last I saw him, he seemed pretty flustered. Was he perhaps disgruntled by my behaviour? I hoped he wasn't angry with me...

"What are you two doing here?" He asked, and I could tell by his voice that we were definitely not supposed to be in here right now.

The edge in his tone was completely lost on Kubo, who smiled at him in amused confusion. "What do you mean 'what are we doing here?' We're cooking the tea for Mesprit, obviously! You were there!" Kubo laughed, and put a large wooden spoon into the pot to swirl the tea leaves around.

Alarm flashed over Heliolisks face for a moment before the emotion was steeled behind an unimpressed frown. "Oh. Right. Well," He stepped closer, peering into the pot, "it's coming along nicely." I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here himself. He usually didn't speak to us unless the Guildmaster told him to, and when he did, he was polite, but didn't procrastinate on getting the interaction over-with. Perhaps he was off-duty?

Heliolisk inhaled deeply, taking a good sniff of the tea. He hummed thoughtfully. "Smells nice."

Kubo nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but Heliolisk continued speaking over him. "You should prepare lunch for Mesprit as well, don't you think?"

Kubo immediately forgot his previous words, his face lighting up excitedly. "Oh! I never even thought of that!" He turned to me, his eyes sparkling. "C'mon, Moss! Let's make her something really good!" He grabbed my arm and tugged me farther into the kitchen. He immediately began to rummage through the options, mumbling to himself (and to me) about what kinds of foods Mesprit may like. His enthusiasm was entertaining- if not confusing- but I found myself distracted by Heliolisk, who continued to curiously eye the boiling pot.

"The tea seems about done," the electric-type mused, "would you two mind if I took it to Mesprit for you? Since you'll be busy making lunch."

Kubo- thinking nothing of it- waved a hand without even turning around to look at him. "Of course! Make sure to tell her it's from me!"

Heliolisk nodded absently, and when he saw me eyeing him curiously, he frowned. "You'd do best not to eye your superiors like that, boy."

I flushed, and immediately diverted my eyes back to the food Kubo was arranging before me. What was that for? I didn't think I was being that rude...

I couldn't see him, but I could hear the crackling of the fire get interrupted by a harsh hiss, as Heliolisk drenched the fire in water. Then, I heard the shifting of metal, and the soft sound of footsteps. Slowly, the footsteps faded into nothingness. He had left with the tea. I let out a deep breath, the uneasy tension fading. What had gotten into him? He was usually pretty curt with us, but...

"Moss! C'mon dude are you even listening to me?" Kubo snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"Ah!" I gasped in surprise, pulled from my thoughts. I turned to him. "Oh," I scratched at the back of my head in embarrassment, "sorry about that. What were you saying?"

Kubo huffed, crossing his arms, but I could tell he was having too much fun to really be annoyed by my absent-mindedness.

"Ta-da!" Kubo announced proudly as he kicked the door to the room open and carried in two plates of food. I followed him sheepishly, carrying two more plates of food in my hands and one plate balanced on my head. Snowflake smiled pityingly at me, Sakura seemed excited at the prospect of food, and Mesprit simply stared at us, her head tilted in curiosity.

It had taken Kubo an annoyingly long time to arrange our food, and by the time we finally decided on something, I found my stomach grumbling angrily. I hadn't planned on eating so soon, but in response to my complaints, Kubo decided we should make food for everyone. This, of course, only made us take longer. I sighed tiredly as I treaded over to the girls who sat in a triangle together.

In one grand sweeping motion, Kubo placed a plate of food in front of Mesprit and one on front of himself. "We made you lunch! Well, I did. Moss only helped a little." He said, grinning slyly.

I frowned at him, placing two plates in front of Snowflake and Sakura, and then placing the one on my head in front of myself. As I sat down next to Kubo, I playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You wish you could cook on your own," I laughed, "you're hopeless."

Kubo stuck his tognue out at me childishly. Snowflake rolled her eyes, and Sakura grinned cheekily. She eyed Mesprit smugly, who put a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. This garnered Kubo's attention, as he flushed in embarrassment. "What?"

"Noooothing," Sakura drawled, making Mesprit giggle again.

I blinked in confusion, turning to Snowflake for an idea of what they thought was so funny. But she only rolled her eyes again. She turned to Kubo, clearly intent on changing the subject. "Kubo, I thought you left to make Mesprit the herbal tea? What happened to that?"

Kubo and I both frowned at her. "What do you mean?" Kubo asked. "Heliolisk said he'd bring it to you, since lunch was gonna take a little while to make."

Mesprit shook her head. "Nope. Nobody ever came by with the tea."

We all sat in silence for a moment, each of us wondering what had happened. I found my past unease weighing back down on me. So Heliolisk really was acting suspicious, and I wasn't overthinking things. Why had he taken the tea? He knew how injured Mesprit was.

I remembered how he and nurse Chansey had fussed over her last night, and I frowned deeper. What made him act so differently now?

Why would he steal the tea?


	9. Chapter 9

"C'mon Moss, I'm sure you're just overthinking this." Snowflake said, clearly a bit too tired to deal with any more drama.

Still, I couldn't help but feel unconvinced. "Think about it, it's undeniably weird! Heliolisk cares very much about Mesprit's health," I paused, humming in thought, "Or, he seemed to last night. Why would he steal the tea?" I didn't think that the Heliolisk we met in the kitchen was the same Heliolisk we knew. I knew I hadn't known him long, but I could see how takes his duty seriously and he never seemed like a bad guy. There was definitely something going on, and I had to get to the bottom of it.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." Snowflake said, shaking her head. "If you just ask him-"

"Yeah!" Kubo cut in, his face set seriously. "We should go ask him. After all, Mesprit's recovery is very important. He better have a good reason for standing us up."

I nodded, pleased with this. "We should go after we finish eating."

Kubo grinned in agreement, which made me feel a bit less uneasy. Surely this was just a little misunderstanding...

The five of us sat in a small little circle on the floor, with Mesprit perched on Snowflakes bed. She seemed to hold herself tall, appearing to all the world like she was perfectly healthy. But I could see how slowly she was eating, and how it took a lot of concentration for her to peer around at the rest of us. I frowned sadly. She wouldn't need to mask her pain in indifference if she had gotten her tea...

Sakura shifted slightly as she swallowed her last bite of food. She peered up at me silently, almost as if asking to speak. I tilted my head at her questioningly.

"Moss... do you think... there's any way Mesprit could help us?" She asked tentatively. "Y'know... with everything?" Mesprit lifted her head suddenly, surprised by the question. But then, wordlessly she too turned her gaze to me. Had the two discussed this question before?

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say anything Snowflake placed a paw over my hand to stop me. I blinked at her in as she spoke. "What she should be doing is resting." Snowflake had a stern look in her eye. "She's deeply injured."

Mesprit's expression shifted into a blank look of condescension. It made me think of Serperior, and such a thought did nothing but worry me. "I'm fine," Mesprit said, her chin held high, "I am perfectly capable of coming with-"

"No, you're not." Snowflake cut in sternly. Mesprit blinked in shock, her eyes wide, clearly surprised at having a regular pokemon talk to her in such a way. The silence that followed was tense and uncomfortable. Kubo's eyes darted between the two anxiously, unsure of whether to interrupt or not. Sakura simply eyed Mesprit with concern.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but you're hurt. You can try and hide it all you want, but you can barely even move!" Snowflake said, her eyes unblinking as she frowned at the legendary.

An angry glare crossed over Mesprit's face again. "I can move!" She insisted. She shifted on the bed, pressing her good arm into the hay in order to push herself onto her feet.

Alarm flashed in Snowflakes eyes. "W-wait-!"

"Agh!" Mesprit gasped, biting her lip as she collapsed back onto the ground. Sakura jumped to her side, gently helping her back into a comfortable position. Painful tears sprouted in Mesprit's eyes. My heart twisted. Hiding pain isn't nearly as easy as hiding emotions.

"I'm sorry," Snowflake said hesitantly, "I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's fine," Mesprit grumbled defeatedly. "You were right."

All of us were silent. I wasn't quite sure where to go from here. Snowflake seemed like she wanted to say more, but the defeated look in Mesprit's eyes held her tongue.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Kubo hopped to his feet and pointed one hand up above his head. "Mesprit is a psychic-type! Does that mean you can do cool psychic stuff?" he asked, turning to her with excitement in his eyes. Mesprit smiled hesitantly. The eagerness in his eyes made her flush, perhaps feeling a bit modest in the face of his admiration.

"Y-.. yeah," She said softly, "actually, that's a great idea! I could use my telepathy!" She smiled brightly, looking around at all of us expectantly. When she realized that none of us really knew what she was talking about (even Kubo, who's ecstatic "Woohoo!" was dampened a little by his lack of comprehension) she sighed, laughing softly to herself and shaking her head.

"It's, well... I can speak to you wordlessly over great distances, by sending my thoughts to you. Cosmog used a similar power to speak to you using your dreams, Moss." She said, smiling a little at the mention of our shared friend. I, on the other hand, felt a painful hit in my stomach at the mention of her.

Still, the idea of telepathy was a good idea. It was like using a phone in my world- but even cooler. Mesprit would be able to help out without needing to endanger herself. I nodded at her, satisfied with this, and she seemed to brighten up a little in response.

"That's great," Sakura said, smiling encouragingly at the weakened legendary, "this way we can talk to you even though you'll be recovering here! Snowflake has nothing to worry about," She turned to the aforementioned Vulpix, raising a smug eyebrow, "Riiight?"

Snowflake rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the relieved grin that twitched at her lips. "Fine, fine. As long as you stay here, Mesprit."

Mesrit groaned. "Yeah, yeah. You're not my mom!"

Kubo chortled. "Hahaha, you are a mom!"

"Shut up, Kubo." Snowflake growled at him, her face flushing a little.

"There is one problem though," Mesprit said, her playful mood fading a little. The rest of us fell silent. "Telepathy only works one way. I can only send thoughts to you. One of you also needs to have telepathy to be able to send thoughts to me."

I frowned. None of us were psychic-types, so none of us would have the ability... right?

'Hello?' Mesprit's voice said, but I realized with a start that her voice seemed to come from right next to my ears. Mesprit herself was sitting a good ways in front of me, and as I blinked at her I realized I hadn't seen her mouth move. 'Can you hear me?' She asked.

Was this... telepathy? Oh, of course...!

I scrunched up my face and shut my eyes, completely unsure of how I was supposed to respond if I didn't have the ability, but I thought very loudly, 'Yes!'

When I opened my eyes, Mesprit was beaming at me. Snowflake frowned and raised an eyebrow, peering between the two of us in confusion. Sakura jumped, a bright smile on her face. "Does Moss have telepathy?" She asked Mesprit excitedly.

The legendary nodded, "He does," she said.

"I knew humans had cool powers!" Sakura grinned slyly. Kubo laughed, hopping up to me and slapping me on the back. "This is great! Now Mesprit can chat with us whenever!" Snowflake shook her head tiredly, but I could see her fighting a proud smile. I flushed, shying away from Kubo and crossing my arms stubbornly, "I told you, humans don't have any cool powers! I know for a fact that I couldn't use telepathy before!"

"But still, you're the only one who could respond to me," Mesprit said, sitting up taller in bed, "I sent that same message to everyone. You're the only one who responded." I blushed deeper. "Well- I-"

"Don't worry so much about it, Moss." Snowflake said comfortingly. "How about we go speak to Heliolisk now?"

"Oh! Right!" Kubo announced, wrapping an arm around my neck and yanking me into motion. "Aack!" I yelped, stumbling after my overly-enthused friend as he guided me towards the door. The froakie turned to grin at Snowflake, "You coming too, mom?" He asked, a sarcastic grin on his face.

Snowflake flushed angrily. "Don't you dare start calling me that!" She protested, but still she was prompted by his words to follow along behind us. The three of us made out way out of the room, with Kubo's arm still locked rather uncomfortably around my neck.

"I wanna come too!" Sakura said with a dejected frown, racing after us before we could close the door behind us.

"Will Mesprit be okay without anyone to look after her?" Snowflake said, her eyes flickering back to the injured pokemon. Mesprit shook her head. "Don't worry about me!" She called, and I noticed how her raised voice was more noticeably rough and scratchy from her injuries than her usual softer voice. "I'll just let Moss know if I need anything!"

And with that, (and a rather fond smile sent at me) Mesprit waved us goodbye as the four of us made our way out into the guild. Kubo finally let me go once we were making our way down the hallway. I rubbed my throat and glared at him in irritation. He noticed.

"What?" He asked, his eyes wide and innocent. I continued to glare at him. "Oh, come on," Kubo rolled his eyes, grinning in amusement and slinging an arm around my shoulders, "look, it's cool that you can chat with Mesprit like that, but we gotta focus on this whole 'stealing the food' business, aight?"

I nodded, but I felt a bit confused and annoyed by his tone. He had been incredibly terrible at hiding his true feelings; I could tell he had intentionally treated me a bit rougher than he needed to. There was something... a bit more serious hidden behind his jovial behaviour.

Was he... jealous?

It didn't take long to find Heliolisk, as we found him standing in the dining hall outside the kitchen, talking rather seriously with Haxorus. Both seemed rather angry, but I could tell that they didn't seem to be arguing or anything. What happened?

Their conversation paused upon our arrival, the two curiously turning to us as we approached. "What's going on?" Sakura asked, tilting her head pursing her lips. Heliolisk cleared his throat. it sounded rough from overuse.

"Someone stole from our water supply again- and they took a good amount of food from the replenished stock that your team brought in." He said, crossing his arms in agitation. "We should've had enough for over a week, but now half of it has up and disappeared! It was all here half an hour ago!"

Haxorus nodded stoically."This is becoming a serious issue, and to make it worse, nobody saw anything."

I frowned, deep in thought. Was Heliolisk just pretending? Did he seriously not know what was going on here?

"With all due respect, sir," I said eyeing Heliolisk suspiciously, "we saw something. Specifically- you."

Kubo nodded, "That's right! You said you'd give Mesprit her tea but it never showed up! What did you do with it?" He accused, not even attempting to hide his outrage at the injustice.

Heliolisk reared his head back at the accusation. "W-what? I did no such thing!" His surprise at the accusation quickly turned to suspicion, though. "Wait- wait a second... You think you saw me, huh..?" He scratched at his chin thoughtfully.

Kubo angrily pressed on, "Yeah! We did! You came to see us in the kitchen, you suggested we make food for Mesprit and then took the tea! Why did you take it!?" He growled, taking a step towards the electric-type. Heliolisk blinked out of his thoughts and eyed him in alarm.

"Wait, Kubo," Snowflake called, stepping in front of him, "I don't think it was him!" She turned to smile apologetically up at Heliolisk, and then turned questioningly to me. "You were thinking the same thing too, right?"

I nodded. Heliolisk cleared his throat again. "I certainly do not remember seeing you in the kitchen. Following Moss' meeting with the Guildmaster, I stayed in her office for a good while, deliberating important plans with her."

Haxorus nodded, "he was. There's no way he could've done something like that. He only just came out of the office a few minutes ago, only to find this whole mess." The dragon-type gestured to the kitchen.

So that explained why he had acted so strange. It hadn't been Heliolisk at all! But then... who was it?

Kubo recoiled shyly, holding his hands behind his back and smiling up apologetically at his superior. "S-sorry, sir," he laughed weakly. Heliolisk sighed, and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "It's okay, Kubo. At least now we have some sort of idea about what we're up against."

He hummed, frowning down at us. "Whoever it is that's stealing from us, it must be disguising itself as me. After all," he grinned, "I am quite high ranking. Pretending to be me could get you some pretty good accomodations." Upon saying that though, his smug grin fell into a frown. "I can't believe someone would tarnish my image like that!" He snarled, crossing his arms.

"I'm sure we can figure this out," Snowflake said seriously, "we'd be happy to help with investigations, sir." The rest of us nodded seriously, and Kubo especially stood up tall, feeling the need to redeem himself.

Heliolisk grinned down at us fondly. "That'd be very appreciated, thank you," he said with a tired sigh, "the sooner this gets cleared up, the better."

We nodded and with that Heliolisk showed us through the kitchen, informing us about what had been stolen. Sakura and I also slunk around looking for some kind of clue as to the identity of this thief, but we didn't find hide nor hair that could help figure anything out. I supposed this world didn't have certain methods that the human world had to figure these things out; like fingerprint identification, DNA tests and so on, so perhaps a hair sample wouldn't help anyway.

I sat down in one of the tables that lined the dining table, leaning my elbows on the table with a sigh, trying to think of a way to figure this out without human technology. In the background, I could still see Sakura surveying everything, while Snowflake and Kubo spoke with Heliolisk in hushed tones. I watched curiously as a member of the guild I hadn't spoken to before- a Roselia- entered the dining room and walked up to them, joining in the hushed conversation. I wondered what they were discussing.

'Hey Moss, what's up?' I jumped up in my seat, suddenly hearing a familiar voice in my head, one that did not belong to me. 'Hello, Mesprit. How are you holding up?' I asked hesitantly. It was going to take me a bit of time before I got used to feeling her voice in my head. A part of me anxiously worried if she could read all my thoughts.

'I'm fine, of course,' she said, clearly still a bit insulted by the subject of her injuries. 'I'm just bored. What are you doing? Talk to Heliolisk yet?' Her voice was much more energetic than I was used to. Was this what she was usually like, when not tied down by her wounds?

'We did, but it turns out it wasn't him that did it.' I replied.

'What do you mean?' She asked, her voice suddenly much higher pitched with curiosity.

'Well, there's been this whole situation with food going missing in the guild lately. It's been going on since before you got here. Some strange pokemon was apparently pretending to be Heliolisk in order to steal our food. The real Heliolisk has an alibi and everything.' I explained, and even though I knew she couldn't see me, I couldn't help but sit up taller in my seat.

'Hmmm... I see...' She hummed thoughtfully. 'Let me know if you figure anything else out. There's many possible pokemon that thief could be, I could help identify them if you learn more.'

I nodded, but then felt blushed in embarrassment when I remembered she couldn't see me. 'Right. Okay,' I chuckled weakly.

"Moss!" Kubo hopped up to the dining table and slammed his hands on the side across from me. I flinched out of my thoughts and blinked at his owlishly. "W-what?" I stuttered.

"Roselia says she saw the Heliolisk that too Mesprit's tea! He turned a corner and then she saw a bring light from behind it, then when she peaked around the corner to see what happened, he was gone!" Kubo announced seriously, and I gaped at him in surprise. "What could that mean? Can the pokemon turn invisible? Can it transform? Wait- was there a different pokemon in the hallway after Heliolisk disappeared?" I asked incredulously.

Kubo blinked at me, silent for a moment. "One moment," he said, his words clipped and short. He turned sharply and rushed back to Snowflake and Heliolisk, who had continued their conversation with Roselia without him. I shook my head with a sigh.

'What happened?' Mepsrits voice asked. I told her what Kubo had told me, a wry smile on my face the entire while. Mesprit hummed. 'A flash of light usually indicates transformation. Hmmm,' she pondered, 'what kind of pokemon could it be? Oh, if only Uxie were here, he'd know right away...'

I furrowed my brows in confusion. 'Who?'

'Ah- nevermind that. I'll let you know if I think of something,' and with that, I could feel her presence leave my mind. She must've cut the connection, or something. I almost felt like she was embarrassed about something. How odd.

"Okay, so Roselia said she actually saw Haxorus in the hallway after Heliolisk disappeared!" Kubo's voice startled me out of my thoughts again, and I almost fell out of my chair at his sudden appearance. I hadn't even noticed he had approached me again before he spoke, so it took me a moment before I took in what it was he had said.

"So it must've transformed," I concluded, still a bit stunned. Kubo nodded hastily. "Yeah!" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've never met a pokemon that can transform before. I wonder what their true form is!" He grinned excitedly at the thought.

I couldn't help but grin wryly in return. "So... what should we-" I paused, distracted by some movement in the corner of my eye. My head jumped to peer over at where I had seen the movement, and Kubo frowned at my strange behaviour. "What's up, dude?" He asked, turning around to peer behind himself, trying to spy what it was I was staring at.

It almost felt as if... someone was watching us.

I peered over at the entrance to the dining room, where I had seen the motion. Something must've come in here, and I'd bet a lot of money that it was our suspect. But, I couldn't help but frown as I let my eyes drift around the room, pouting in confusion, because as far as I could see, there was nowhere to hide in here.

"I think I saw something," I said slowly, my voice low so only Kubo could hear me. Kubo turned around to frown at me, concern flashing in his eyes. "Do you think it's...?" he asked softly. I nodded. I hopped out of my chair and walked around the table towards Snowflake and Heliolisk, who were now alone, as Roselia must've left while I was distracted. Kubo followed closely behind me, looking around frantically, as if afraid of impending attacks.

"Oh, hey Moss. Is something wrong?" Snowflake asked as I approached her, tilting her head with a concerned frown. her eyes flickered over to Kubo, and his obviously paranoid behaviour. "Are you guys okay?" She asked, her eyes jumping between the two of us. I nodded resolutely, pointing towards the door that lead out of the room.

"I saw something come in here, but I don't know where it could possibly be hiding." I said. Heliolisk raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh! Well, then this could be our chance to catch the perpetrator! I'll stand outside the dining room in case it tries to escape!" He then immediately turned and hurried to the door, standing guard and looking around with his head held high. Snowflake, Kubo and I all stared at each other blankly.

Well, I supposed it made sense for Heliolisk to have a plan for situations like this, but... I had no idea what we were supposed to do. And evidently, neither did my friends.

"Um, well, we should definitely tell Sakura about this," Snowflake stuttered awkwardly. Kubo and I nodded. The three of us entered the kitchen together, looking around for any sign of suspicious activity. Sakura was half hidden inside a counter, her tiny feet kicking aimlessly behind her and her tail waving energetically. I could hear her grunting with effort. What was she digging around in there for? I doubted the thief would have left any evidence in there.

"Sakura!" Kubo yelped, rushing up to her and grabbing her hind legs, giving her a strong yank to free her from the cupboard. "Waah!" She gasped, falling unceremoniously out and onto Kubo's lap. She shook her head and turned around to glare at him. "What was that for?" She chidded.

Kubo leapt to his feet and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, it's just... The thief is somewhere in here! I'm just a bit jumpy, ahaha!"

Sakura gaped in surprise. "Really? He's here?" She peered around herself as if she'd be able to see something out of the ordinary. "Nobody's come in here since Moss left. Are you sure?" She asked sceptically, frowning at him.

"well, maybe it didn't come into the kitchen," Snowflake admitted, "but it's somewhere in the dining room, at least."

I stood there silently, pulling myself out of the conversation to look around the kitchen observantly. Distantly I could hear Kubo explaining to Sakura that the mystery pokemon could probably transform, so they had no idea what it would look like. Snowflake supposed that perhaps it was currently a small pokemon, which was why it was hiding so well.

"How can you be so sure that he's even here right now? Or that he hasn't left yet?" Sakura asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Well, Moss said he saw something, so it must be here somewhere." Kubo replied, still occasionally looking around himself suspiciously.

The three continued to converse, now brainstorming about how they were supposed to catch it. I hummed softly to myself. With all the food in here, it was quite likely that the thief could hide easily- and we wouldn't be able to wait it out to force it to appear. It could eat for days if we simply stood guard and waited for it to show itself. So how were we going to force it to come out?

'Hey, Moss?' Mesprit's voice suddenly called out in my mind. I blinked and shook my head, clearing my thoughts. 'Yeah, Mesprit?'

Mesprit cleared her throat, which was strange, since we were speaking mentally. 'Have you caught the thief yet?'

'No,' I huffed in return, still letting my eyes gaze around the room for some sign of movement. 'But we're pretty sure it's somewhere in the kitchen.'

She went silent for a while, and I supposed that she was thinking it over. I peered over at my friends, and found Sakura arguing that there was no way anyone had come in here, she would've seen something. Kubo simply replied that she had just been digging around in a cupboard, and it could've slipped in while she wasn't looking. She huffed and grumbled in annoyance, probably upset at his lack of faith in her. Snowflake simply rolled her eyes and asked that we all just go through all the little places the thief could be hiding. They had to find something. I hummed in approval at that. That seemed like a reasonable place to start.

'Be careful, Moss,' Mesprit finally said, jumping me out of my thoughts. I had almost forgotten she had spoken to me. 'Thanks,' I responded.

Sakura scoffed. "How about you three look around in here? I already looked through everything and found absolutely nothing, so I might as well check the dining room now."

Snowflake nodded appeasingly. "Y-yeah... I suppose that'd be fine. There's not very many places to hide out there though so when you're done you'll come help, right?" The skitty nodded seriously, "yeah, of course."

With that, Sakura left the kitchen and Snowflake and Kubo went to work shifting through each the food stock (that, now that I looked at them, really were more empty than last I was in here...). I decided to help, stepping forward to open a drawer, when a commotion suddenly came from the dining room. It sounded like a yelp from Heliolisk, and I whipped my head around to face the sound.

"Ack!" The electric-type's voice called. "Get back here! Nobody is allowed to leave until the culprit is found!" His voice called again, and I turned to share a quick look with Snowflake. She nodded seriously and the two of us dashed out into the dining room to discover that Sakura was nowhere to be found.

Heliolisk was clearly considering chasing off after whoever had left. I could easily guess who it was. Heliolisk turned to us and pointed down the hallway. "You're skitty friend just shoved by me and ran off! I suspect it's actually the thief in disguise!"

"Right," I said, immediately running off after her. Snowflake hesitated only long enough to call Kubo ot join us, and then she was hot on my tail. I ran down the hallway that lead to the front entrance, entering the huge, high-ceiling room that had awed me that first day. Rushing out the front door, I could see a flash of pink. "Stop right there!" I announced, dashing off after it. Passing through the gate, I couldn't help but notice how Lycanroc was conveniently missing. Wasn't guild security supposed to be heightened right now?!

Leaving the guild, I saw the skitty turn a corner down a pathway that lead down the mountainside. I chased after it, but I was nowhere near close enough to send a pin missile at it, or for Snowflake to use an ice beam to slow it down.

I growled under my breath in frustration. I could only hope it'd get tired before we did.

As we made our way through the beautiful mountain town, I realized that wherever the pokemon was fleeing to, it was an area of town I hadn't seen before. The houses grew less frequent and the few building we did pass were noticeably less emaculate than the ones I was used to. Flowers were less carefully tended, the pathway grew more rough and was clearly less used. I supposed there was a reason we had never been around here before.

Finally, the pokemon imitating Sakura turned a corner and went down a long, straight alley. I grinned. Perfect time to use pin missile..!

My attack slugged it in the back and threw it forwards off its feet with a gasp of pain. It lied there on the ground for a moment, giving us enough time to approach it. Snowflake and Kubo reached it first, and from behind Snowflakes pale form, I could see a flash of light. She gasped, and Kubo took a step back in surprise.

I slowed to a walk, moving closer and craning my neck to see what the pokemon had revealed itself to be. The light faded away, leaving a small, fluffy grey pokemon in its place. Later, Mesprit would tell us that there was no question; it was a Zorua. But in the moment, I had no name to place to its small, angry face.

"You... you-!" He spluttered, and attempted to climb to his feet. Snowflake stopped him, stepping on his tail to keep him grounded. He yelped, and collapsed back onto the rough, dirt pathway. He must be weak to bug-type moves, I thought curiously. I hadn't expected my attack to go over quite this well. He was barely putting up a fight anymore.

"Why are you stealing the guilds' food?" Kubo demanded, crossing his arms seriously. "And where's Sakura?!" I stepped up to his side and joined him in glaring down at the zorua.

He struggled, ignoring Kubo's question, until Snowflake bared her teeth angrily, letting cold, frozen air drift out from between her teeth. It was a warning, but a frightful one, I noted. The zorua paled and settled back down. "I don't need to explain anything to you!" He bit back anyway.

"Would you rather explain it to the Guildmaster?" Kubo asked, raising an eyebrow. The zorua paled even further. "N-no! I..." he grumbled angrily, dropping his head defeatedly, "fine. You're skitty friend is in that cupboard you pulled me out of. I just knocked her out so she wouldn't interfere with my disguise. She's fine."

"And?" Snowflake pushed, tilting her head with a sharp glare on her face, but the threatening icy breath was gone. The zorua sighed shakily. "I don't... get to eat much." He grumbled, flushing in clear humiliation at needing to admit it. "I don't have any family, or friends. I just thought... that the guild would be the least likely to really suffer from me taking some food every now and then."

"But you take so much!" Snowflake said incredulously. "How can that all be for you?"

"I save it!" He barked back, "I only stole from the guild a couple of times anyway..." Kubo guffawed. "As if!"

"I did!" He insisted, baring his teeth defensively. "I don't mean to hurt anyone. I knew the guild could take care of itself. I just..." he trailed off defeatedly.

I hummed softly to myself. Something about him made me feel like he was telling the truth... He didn't seem like a bad pokemon, not really. "If we let you go, will you promise to stop stealing from the guild?" I asked, tilting my head. He seemed a bit surprised at that question, or perhaps he had forgotten I was even there, as he stared at me with wide eyes. "Y-... yeah," he said finally, nodding, "I guess I'll have to figure... something else out then."

"Moss!" Kubo protested, "this guy attacked Sakura! She was already injured too y'know! He preys on the weak!"

"No I don't!" The zorua whined. "She was the only one I could convincingly disguise as! I didn't want to hurt her. I promise I won't steal anymore, from anyone!"

"Then what will you do?" Snowflake asked, slowly shifting her weight off of his tail. He flicked it out from under her paw and stood, collecting himself. "I... I don't know. but I've got enough food to last until I figure that out." He couldn't make eye contact with any of us now, his eyes were on the ground as he spoke.

"You could come be an explorer, like us?" I suggested lightly. Kubo gasped dramatically at me. The zorua snorted in amusement. "If you think I'll ever willingly face the Guildmaster after all I've stolen, you're an idiot." I shrugged casually at that, making his amusement fade a little. "I'm getting out of here," he said softly, and even though it was said like a statement, I could tell it was more like an ask for permission.

Snowflake scowled. "Fine, get out of here," she growled, and he didn't need to be told twice; he immediately turned around and scampered away down the alley. Snowflake glared him as he left, clearly wondering whether she should ice beam him in the back or not. I placed a paw in her shoulder and shook my head. She frowned. "Are you sure, Moss? I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Yeah!" Kubo huffed, pouting angrily as the zorua turned a corner and disappeared from sight. "We shoulda at least roughed him up for hurting Sakura, and- and for stealing Mesprit's tea!" He announced, crossing his arms. I rolled my eyes. "There's more important things here than tea, Kubo."

I was feeling pretty good about myself, with letting the zorua go. Snowflake and Kubo definitely did not see things my way, and they grumbled to themselves a bit as we made our way back to the kitchen; where we indeed found Sakura knocked out. Heliolisk had already found her, and was just finishing looking her over when we came in.

"Is she okay?" Snowflake asked, running up to the electric-types side worriedly. "Yes, she looks fine," Heliolisk said, peering down at Sakura with a concerned frown on his face, "we should bring her back to your room until she wakes up." We all nodded, and Heliolisk carried her, walking a bit slower than usual to make sure not to disturb her. I couldn't help but grin to myself. He was just as concerned about Sakura as he was with Mesprit yesterday. I felt relieved to know it was the real him this time.

Mesprit welcomed us back as energetically as she could, which evidently wasn't very much. She seemed about ready to fall asleep. Sakura was laid down gently on my bed, and I stared down at her thoughtfully. She had already needed a few bandages, and it hurt to see her wrapped up in a few more. Snowflake seemed deeply bothered by the sight, and Kubo huffed grumpily to himself.

I did the right thing, letting him go. Right? He was just doing what he could to take care of himself. He seemed pretty young, and with an ability like that, stealing seemed like a pretty easy vice to fall into. Still...

Sakura suddenly started breathing deeper, and after a moment she had awoken, lifting her head and peering up at us. "Did we get the thief?" She asked cluelessly, an innocent look on her face. I grinned down at her. Yeah, she'd be fine- if a but miffed that she didn't help us catch him.

I shrugged, "kinda?"


	10. Chapter 10

A cold chill came over me, and I shivered, awakened from my comfortable sleep and blinking my eyes open groggily. Why was it so cold..?

I lifted my head and peered over at Snowflake who slept at my side, but she wasn't what was making me feel so cold. It was still the middle of the night, and everyone else was still sleeping. The chill came again and I realized it was wind, coming from the open window. I frowned, confused. Who would've opened it? I climbed to my feet and stumbled over to it, intent on closing it and quickly returning to bed.

As I raised my paws to reach for the window, something suddenly jumped into my vision and I flinched away. Despite the punitive light cast my the moon, I could see the figure of the creature surprisingly easy. It was like it was glowly slightly as it climbed its way through the window and slunk down past me into the room. I gaped at it, so shocked that I found myself frozen in place.

It seemed almost transparent, and it moved like thin fabric being billowed by the wind. Cold air wisped through the room in its wake, flowing over me and chilling me to the bone. It exuded a strange energy, one that seemed to shake the air around me as it made its way towards Mesprit, who was still sleeping curled up on Snowflakes bed. "Ah- wait-!" I gasped weakly.

At the sound of my voice the strange figure suddenly turned around with a cry of surprise. It blinked at me with barely discernible eyes, and in the next moment it phased out of existence. My eyes were wide. In that last moment, it almost looked like... Mesprit? But how was that possible...

I looked around the room. Silence descended upon the room, nothing besides the soft breaths of my friends and the gentle breeze outside the open window. That was... strange. Had I just hallucinated that? I thought I was past having hallucinations at the point, but what in the world could that have been? A spirit? Did those exist in this world? I supposed I wouldn't be surprised at this point.

'I'm sorry if I scared you,' a soft voice suddenly spoke up from inside my mind. I jumped with a yelp and looked back at Mesprit to see she had somehow sat up without my noticing, staring at me with those piercing amber eyes, trying not to laugh at my reaction. 'I have the ability to send my spirit out of my body. I had to check on my home, to make sure it was still safe.' She explained simply.

'Huh,' I thought back, walking up to her and sitting down next to the bed, smiling across at her, 'that's... cool. I'm still not used to talking with telepathy, though, it's just really weird.' She giggled softly into the back of her hand.

'But it will keep us from awaking your friends.' she raised her hand away from her mouth to pat me on the head. 'You'll get used to talking this way in no time!' I shrugged my head away from her hand and huffed jokingly, crossing my arms. I may look like one now, but I'm no pet.

We sat quietly together for a moment. Mesprit's strange spirit power made me want to ask more about it, or her, or something. This was all too weird to just drop it and go back to sleep. I pondered what to say. 'Do you have... a family? You were all alone at that castle, how did you end up there?'

Mesprit peered sadly at me, and for a moment I was afraid that I upset her. But then I realized she was actually looking quite... sympathetic. She was pitying me? But why... then I felt a harsh twist in my heart. I didn't remember my family, if I even had one.

Did they miss me? Would I ever be able to go back? Did I... even want to go back? I had made friends here, friends that I could remember, friends that made me feel safe, made me brave... they were my family now, weren't they? So why did my chest hurt so much?

Mesprit looked away, frowning to herself. She must've known what I was thinking, as she answered my question softly. 'I do have a family- two siblings. We were triplets, and we always used to be together...' she shook her head, 'but then we got our missions, as guardians. Nowadays, we don't get to see each other very often.' She sighed, crossing her arms weakly. Tears suddenly sprung up in her eyes, 'I really miss them sometimes... We can still talk with telepathy but its not the same.'

I nodded gently, reaching out and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. I felt bad for asking her about this, I had no idea how to make her feel better. 'Don't worry,' I said awkwardly, 'I'm sure you'll see them again.' I felt kind of stupid, but at my words she peered back at me and wiped at her eyes, a soft smile drifting onto her face. "Thanks," she mumbled- out loud- and I chuckled softly in surprise. I removed my hand and she recollected herself, a little amused, or perhaps embarrassed, by her emotional reaction.

'I'd like to ask more about them. Is that okay?' I asked cautiously. She nodded, so I continued with a bit more confidence. 'What are they like?'

Mesprit smiled again, losing herself in her memories for a moment. "Hmm..." she hummed aloud, 'Uxie is the smart one of the three of us, hee-hee!' she giggled, 'He's kinda shy- and he doesn't like fighting. That is, unless you tick him off!' Mesprit giggled again, clearly remembering some times where she must've intentionally riled him up. I grinned a little to myself.

'Then there's Azelf. He's the opposite of Uxie, he always acts before thinking. It leads to some misunderstandings, and he gets himself into trouble sometimes.' she hummed thoughtfully, 'he's really protective of the things he cares about though. He takes his job as guardian very seriously- maybe a little too seriously. He's really friendly and sweet when you get to know him.'

She then peered at me thoughtfully, before a sly grin twitched at her lips, 'I think the two of you would get along.'

I blinked in surprise, and huffed, unsure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not. 'Hey!' I frowned playfully. She giggled into the back of her hand. 'Anyway, enough about me, what about you? let's talk about your friends!'

I blinked in surprise. Was she really interested? I fiddled with my hands nervously. 'Well... I don't know what I could tell you.'

'You've all been so kind to me. You and your friends are such amazing pokemon. I'm glad you all found me when I was hurt.' Mesprit said, a bright genuine smile on her face. I flushed in embarrassment, but attempted to smile shyly. 'I'm glad we found you, too...'

Mesprit giggled mischievously at my shyness. I huffed, she probably just liked making me embarrassed. 'Kubo is especially nice, don't you think?' Mesprit asked with a conspiratory grin.

I blinked, and nodded, my confusion at his behaviour coming back to me. 'I don't understand why he's so determined to impress you. What's up with him, do you think? Is he sick?'

Mesprit laughed, 'more like love-sick! He's clearly infatuated, I can feel that his emotions get all confused when he's around me. I don't think he's ever had a crush before so he doesn't know how to deal with it. Honestly it's kind of cute,' she scratched at the back of her head and averted her eyes, 'I never thought anyone could like me that way.' I frowned thoughtfully at that, and she sighed, flushing a little as she stared at the ground, unable to return my gaze. 'I wish he'd just act normal around me though. All his bravado is cute and all but... I wanna know what he's really like.'

I hummed, wondering what to say. I hadn't realized that that's what had been ailing Kubo. He liked Mesprit? How odd, I never even considered it... She was a legendary, so it never even occurred to me.. Perhaps that's why she never thought anyone could like her. I felt guilty at my own thoughts. 'Hey, Kubo is a great guy. And, uh, he must have great taste, because you're really nice, and- um- pretty.'

Mesprit smiled appreciatively, giggling a little. I hoped she believed me. But then suddenly her grin became mischievous again, and she leaned forwards to poke me on my nose. She winked, 'I think that little Vulpix of yours is a bit prettier in your eyes than I am, am I right?'

I gaped at her. What was she talking about? Snowflake was just... a good friend. Sure, she was beautiful and amazing, but- Wait. What? I scrunched up my face in confusion, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Mesprit didn't stop grinning, and only nodded smugly to herself, before leaning back and crossing her arms.

Her ability to sense emotions was so unfair, she could tease everyone so easily. I huffed in disgruntled amusement; Kubo was really gonna be in over his head with this one. He sure knew how to pick 'em.

The next morning I awoke to someone shaking me by my shoulder. I groaned and blinked my eyes open- sorely regretting having such a long chat with Mesprit last night- and looked up to find Kubo standing over me impatiently. "Uhg... What's wrong, dude?" I asked.

"It's time to get up, sleeping beauty!" He stood up tall and crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "We have to go buy medicine again, since last time we did it was stolen," he frowned bitterly for a moment, but shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, Snowflake is already outside. You better keep up!" He said seriously before turning and walking out of the room. I blinked after him, surprised at his lingering grumpiness. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I thought with a small grin. Letting that Zorua go clearly still bothered him.

I yawned and climbed out of bed, peering over at Mesprit. She was still sleeping soundly, and I had no intentions of awaking her. I softly crept out of the room and found Kubo leaning on the wall outside the door, waiting for me. Sakura was nowhere to be found, so I assumed she was still asleep in her room. I envied her, how come she got to sleep in? Kubo nodded at me wordlessly as I arrived and we both made our way to the front gates of the guild, finding Snowflake indeed waiting there for us, speaking with Lycanroc.

I blinked in surprise at the sight of her. I had never noticed before, but seeing her standing there in the light of the early sun, her white fur sparkled in the light like freshly fallen snow. I paused for a moment, taken aback by how stunning it looked. It was as if her very fur was made of ice...

Kubo seemed annoyed by my suddenly slower pace and he looped his arm around my elbow and tugged me along after him, breaking me from my trance. I shook my head, blinking owlishly at Snowflake as she turned to greet us. "There you two are," she said, yawning, "Kubo why must we get up so early for this? This is ridiculous." Lycanroc snickered, "I didn't even get the chance to wake you guys, myself! How disappointing!"

Kubo huffed in annoyance, "it's because the Pharmacy closes earlier today, that's why! So let's hurry!" He started forwards, continuing to lug me around after him. I yelped in surprise and Snowflake followed closely behind, shaking her head with a grin. Some things never changed it seemed.

To my surprise, a lot more pokemon were up and about this morning than yesterday. The village had a surprisingly merry atmosphere, with many pokemon spending their time outside in the warm shining sun, talking with each other, play fighting, and playing music. I was intrigued to find some pokemon were even setting up a few small shop stands, turning the area that we passed through into a kind of makeshift marketplace. I hung off Kubo's arm and gaped at all the commotion. I had half a mind to hang around here all day, I could train with the battling pokemon, and I was sure there would be interesting things to buy...

"you think we could find any useful medicine here?" Snowflake asked from behind us, prompting Kubo to turn and scoff at her. "Mesprit deserves only the best!" He said pompously. Snowflake rolled her eyes, "right."

Suddenly, something rammed into my side, throwing me onto Kubo as the two of us collapsed onto the ground. "Oof!" I gasped, holding the back of my head as it pounded painfully. I shook my head a little, trying to steady my spinning vision and see what it was that had bodied me and Kubo to the ground.

"Ah! It's you!" A familiar voice cried out, and I blinked blearily up at the Zorua we had let go yesterday, who was still collapsed over me. He jumped to his feet with a panic in his voice, "please help me!" Kubo jumped to his feet angrily, "you-!" but before he could chew him out, the Zorua quickly scampered to hide behind his back fearfully.

Snowflake helped me to my feet and the three of us looked around for whatever threat the dark-type seemed to be afraid of. What trouble could he have possibly got himself into so quickly?

"Come back here! Thief!" Struggling through the crowd of playful pokemon, a furious Granbull made his way into view. The fairy-type was huge, and he looked pretty tough. I paled.

Snowflake tugged the Zorua to look at her and snarled at him, "seriously?! What makes you think we'll help you when you already broke your promise!"

"I didn't! I swear! Please help me!" He barked fearfully, clearly a bit too panicked to argue. The Granbull then seemed to spot us, and quickly began making his way towards us. "uhm, Snowflake?" Kubo mumbled, a bit afraid himself. I couldn't help but share the sentiment. What if the Granbull thought we were the Zoruas accomplices...

Snowflake sighed tiredly and shook her head, stepping forwards to get the Granbulls attention. He stopped before her and glared down at her. "You know that thief?" he grumbled angrily. The Zorua squeaked at being acknowledged and hid himself behind me instead.

Snowflake bowed her head, "I'm sure we can compensate you for whatever he took-"

"I didn't!" he shouted, suddenly angry, "I didn't do anything to him!"

"Maybe so!" Granbull huffed, crossing his arms and growling under his breath, "but we know your face around here, Hunter- and I'm not going to let you go around stealing from these good-meaning pokemon!" I blinked in surprise. So he didn't steal anything after all...?

Snowflake seemed equally surprised, but collected herself easily. "Well, he's not done anything to you now, and we've been keeping an eye on him. He won't be stealing from anyone anymore." I was surprised at her lie, but the Granbull seemed to accept it, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, as long as he's under control. You better not let him go off on his own again." And with that, he turned and made his way back to the food stand he had been previously operating. Kubo and I both let out a sigh of relief. Snowflake handled that a lot better than either of us would've.

She turned back to frown at Hunter, who had peeked his head out from behind me, looking around to make sure the threat was gone. "You're a real mess you know that?" She started to criticize him, But her words seemed to startle him out of his thoughts and instead of responding, he turned tail and ran off. "Wait!" I yelped after him. Snowflake and I exchanged a quick look, wordlessly agreeing to follow him. We hurried off in pursuit, leaving Kubo blinking after us.

"Guys, wait! What about-! Uhg!" He growled in frustration when he realized we weren't listening, and quickly made off after us.

Instead of running down into the darker parts of the town, we chased Hunter up the mountain and into the lush floral parts of town. I found myself struggling up the hill a bit better this time, but only barely. I could hardly believe he was managing to run for so long. I gasped and stumbled the entire way, but finally Hunter began to tire, and with a final burst of energy, Kubo sped by me and Snowflake and tackled the Zorua to the ground.

"Gah-!" Hunter gasped, face-planting into the ground. He struggled under Kubo's weight, but Kubo kept him pinned to the ground. Snowflake and I stopped behind them, and I leaned over onto my knees, panting in exhaustion. "What's your angle, thief!?" Kubo interrogated him, but I zoned the others out as I peered around the area. I realized suddenly that we weren't in the village anymore, instead we were in the middle of the forest somewhere. Hunter had been following some dirt path, so I supposed finding the way back would be easy, but...

"I wasn't doing anything wrong! Why did you chase me!?" Hunter gasped, making me zone back into the situation. The Zorua was still struggling to escape from Kubo's grasp. Snowflake sighed heavily to catch her breath, "if you were doing nothing wrong, why did you run? We helped you!"

Hunter huffed, turning his head around to glare at us, "what, and that means I have to associate with you? I'm not letting you think you can just 'babysit' me!"

"Babysit?" Kubo rasped incredulously, "Snowflake was lying to get you out of that scrape! We don't want anything to do with you!"

Hunter growled viciously, "then why did you chase me!?"

Before any of us could respond, there was a sudden blast from behind me, exploding in a burst of dust and dirt. "Aagh!" I gasped and covered my face with my arms, but I was unable to say much more, because something suddenly bashed into my head. I collapsed bodily onto the ground, out cold.

"Uugghh..." I groaned, blinking my eyes open. My head spun horribly, and for a brief moment I feared that my head injury from before would return- I had finally started to feel healthy again!- but the pain slowly began to fade as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

"Moss! You're awake!" Snowflake's voice cut through the dizzy haze of my mind, and then I felt something bodily run into me, almost throwing me back on the ground. "Aah!" I gasped, shaking my head and my eyes finally clearing. To my surprise, Snowflake had wrapped her front paws around my neck in an attempt to give me a hug. I blushed in surprise and lifted my shaky arms to hug her back.

"Snowflake... what happened? Where are we...?" I peered around from over her shoulder. We appeared to be trapped within some kind of cage. It was shaped like a large birdcage, but the bars were a thick iron. Through the bars above us, I could see a huge Beast carrying the cage. It seemed to be made of blue metal, with two rocket blasters that propelled us through the air at a frightening speed. We were high above the ground, the horizon stretching far around us.

Across from me and Snowflake, I could see Kubo karate chopping the bars in an attempt to break them, and- to my surprise- Hunter was here as well. Though he was still knocked out, lying on the floor not far from me.

Snowflake pulled away from me with a tired gasp, "we were so foolish- to chase Hunter out of town left us totally defenseless," she shook her head, "I don't know where this thing is taking us- but it can be nowhere good. We still don't know what these monsters want from you..." She bit her lip nervously.

"Doesn't matter!" Kubo shouted, and I jumped in surprise, not realizing that he had been listening in.

Snowflake turned and glared at him. "What do you mean it doesn't matter!?"

"We're going to escape, of course!" Kubo huffed, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide the clear bruises on them. "So it doesn't matter what they want with Moss." Snowflake groaned in irritation, but she decided to drop it. I wasn't sure how we were supposed to escape, we were so high above the ground, but...

My eyes were drawn to Hunter. I couldn't help but pity him for getting tangled up in all of this. We really had messed up good this time. Snowflake helped me struggle to my feet, and I stumbled over to Hunter. I shook him by his shoulder, "hey, Hunter..? You okay?" I asked softly.

He groaned softly and gently blinked his eyes open. For a moment he seemed to not see anything, his eyes staring into nothingness, before he shook his head and peered back up at me. His eyes went wide. "Wh-... what..?" He pushed himself into a sitting position and I sat down beside him. I watched silently as he took in our situation, peering around with wide, confused eyes. "What's going on...?"

"You've heard of all the beasts that have been sighted lately, right?" Snowflake asked softly. Hunter turned to her with sudden panic in his eyes, "You- you don't mean we're- that we-" He leapt to his feet and spun around, frantically looking for a way out. "We're trapped!"

"Duh," Kubo quipped from his place leaning against the bars.

Hunter ignored him. He spun back on me, and I was shocked to find his eyes were suddenly watery as he glared furiously at me. "This is all your fault! If you had never chased after me I wouldn't- I-" He bit his lip, struggling to not burst into tears. I deflated a little, my heart clenching. He was right- had we not followed him, we wouldn't have left town, and...

"Now's not the time to point fingers," Snowflake stepped a little in front of me as if to defend me from Hunter, and glowered at him, "it's in the past now. It happened. What we need to do now is find out how to get out of here."

Hunter bared his teeth, but said nothing. I looked away. What could we do? Perhaps if the four of us attacked one of the bars at the same time, we could do some damage... but we were so high up in the air, there was nowhere we could escape to...

"Can you fly when you transform into flying pokemon?" I suddenly asked, peering up at Hunter. The Zorua pouted at me. "I don't transform- it's just an illusion! I don't get any new powers." I groaned, looking away with a frown. He watched me curiously as I struggled to come up with a plan.

"Hey guys, we're going down!" Kubo spoke up suddenly. I peered up, and then jumped onto my feet upon realizing that he was right. The beast was beginning to descend, it was slowing down too, though I still couldn't see where exactly we were going. If we were getting close to their destination though, there was no way I was going to let us get past the point of no return. We had to escape soon, or else we may not get the chance!

"Okay guys, I know what to do," I said, nodding to my friends. Hunter frowned, but listened in as well. "We're going to attack the cage all on the same spot. Hopefully it'll break, and when the beast brings us low enough to the ground, we all jump out, okay?"

Hunter's eyes went wide with fear, "are you insane!? We're still way too high up-"

"We don't have any other choice!" Kubo snapped at him, a serious look on his face that I wasn't used to seeing. Kubo turned to me and nodded sternly. "We're gonna get out of here," he said, breaking into a confident smirk. I grinned back. There's the Kubo I knew.

"Alright everyone, get ready to attack!" Snowflake announced, pointing towards the side of the cage. We all arranged ourselves in a semi-circle around the intended point, me and Snowflake in the center with Kubo at my side and Hunter at hers. On the count of three, the four of us attacked; shadow ball, ice beam, pin missile, and water gun. The moves busted one of the bars, with a loud steel crash.

When the smoke cleared, I blinked over to find one that the gap we had broken off would be just enough space for us to squeeze through. The beasts seemed not to notice our struggle and continued to descend into a deep, lush forest. "Now's our chance," I gasped as we lowered far enough to be flying amongst the trees. All we had to do was jump and grab hold of some branches...

We all clambered out together, with Hunter the most hasty to leave, so he leapt out first. I needed to grab a hold of his tail to not have him leave the rest of us behind, and the four of us all leapt into the trees together, my hand gripping Kubo's tightly as he held onto Snowflakes paw. The landing was rough and I was sure to have a few splinters, but we were free.

"Yes! We made it!" Hunter gasped with relief. I peered around for the beast, and saw it flying off in the same direction. It was still just as huge as ever, and it was slowing down even more, so following it would be easy. "Let's get out of here!" Hunter's frantic words made me blink out of my thoughts.

"We can't just leave! We should follow it!" I announced, which only made Hunter gape at me.

"Are you insane?! We just got kidnapped by that thing. We should be running away!" He moved as if to start leaving, but Snowflake raised a paw for him to stop.

"Wait, Moss has a point. We're free now, but we also have a good lead as to what the beasts want with us. We could just take a look around and see what's up." She smiled softly at me. I hesitantly smiled back.

"Well I don't want no part in it!" Hunter huffed, puffing out his cheeks. Kubo snickered at him, "Well have fun finding your way back home without us. We're an exploration team, so we're the only ones who can help you get back." Hunter's face flushed at that, and Kubo grinned, crossing his arms behind his head. "So you'll have to stick with us, no matter the... detours."

"Fine," Hunter grumbled, "but I hate you guys so much."

"Duly noted," Kubo hummed, standing up on the branches and grinning at him. "Now lets go."

As we followed the smoke trail left by the beast, I found that I could feel some sort of strange, unfamiliar energy growing stronger and stronger. It seemed we were growing closer to something... important.

We came to a hill, which rose up and up towards some strange ruins. It seemed to have been torn apart, almost as viciously as the castle we had found Mesprit in. It wasn't a castle this time though, more like a shrine of some kind. It was overgrown with ivy and bushes, and even through all the destruction I could see intricate details carved into the stone walls. The strange energy seemed to be pouring out of the ruins, more intense here than anywhere else.

"This place is creepy," Hunter mumbled from behind me.

"Is this where the beast was taking us?" Kubo asked, his eyes wide and curious. I peered at him and saw no fear in his eyes. He was purely enthralled by the mystic beauty of the place.

I nodded, "I can't see why it wouldn't be. Do you think we can go inside?"

"Of course!" Kubo waved a hand carelessly, and began climbing the steps to reach the door, which seemed to have been blown open. We all followed after him cautiously, peering around for any sign of the beast. If this truly was its destination, then where was it? Where had it disappeared to...?

we entered a huge hall, which would have had huge towering ceilings had they not been crushed into. Large sculpted boulders had crumbled to the floor and clambering over them was difficult. most importantly though, was the large shimmering blue vortex which swirled from the far back of the room, illuminating the area with a harsh light and filling the area with a powerful energy. There were some strange runes written on the walls around it, but I had no idea what they could say.

"Woah... what in the world is that...?" Snowflake breathed, blinking in awe at the strange vortex.

We all slowly crept closer to it, until I noticed something strange lying on the ground in front of it. It was a stone statue, collapsed on its back with its arms held out wide to its sides as if trying to protect something. It had a huge mohawk on its head and strange armour-like shells attached to its arms. It's face was set in fearless determination. I tilted my head at it. something about it was... spooky.

"Guys, this place is giving me the creeps. I think we've seen enough, right? We can go home now?" Hunter stuttered from somewhere behind me. I was too focused on the strange statue to hear Kubo's response, but his voice was still as light and humorous as always.

'Moss? Where have you been?' Mesprits voice suddenly spoke up in my mind and I jumped up violently with a gasp.

"What's wrong, Moss?" Snowflake called over to me. I took a deep breath and grinned at her, waving it off.

'Sakura and I have been waiting for you to return from your shopping trip for hours. Is everything okay?' Mesprit continued, her voice laced with worry. I sat down on some rubble and continued to peer down at the strange statue. It was completely unharmed, not a single notch in its pristine carving...

'We're alright, we just... got caught up in something.' I responded hesitantly. 'Mesprit... do you know what a big blue vortex means?'

Mesprit paused. 'What... where are you right now?' Her voice sounded a little frightened, which did nothing but put me more on edge.

'We got kidnapped by a beast, but we escaped and followed it in secret. It lead us to this strange ruin with a glowing vortex in it.' I said, which only made Mesprit let out an anxious gasp.

'Where's the Tapu? Is there a pokemon there? The portal should have a guardian...'

I blinked, my eyes going wide as I peered back down at the statue. Could that be... 'Does this "Tapu" have a mohawk and weird shells on its claw hands?' I asked.

'Yes, that's Tapu Koko! Is he there? Is he okay?' Mesprit sounded almost frantic now, which made me hastily respond.

'Well, either he's not here- and this is just a statue- or... he's been turned to stone?' Following my words came nothing but silence for a long moment, and I couldn't help but rub my arms nervously and look around.

My friends were all still searching around the place, I had no idea what they were looking for but they seemed to be leaving this statue and the strange portal to me. Hunter was sitting near the exit, his tail twitching nervously as he watched my friends dig through the rubble. It occurred to me that perhaps they were searching for injured pokemon, in case someone was hurt like Mesprit was. Perhaps this 'Tapu Koko' was buried somewhere...

I turned and peered back down at the statue, with its perfectly clean condition and its intricate details. My stomach twisted. There was something painfully lifelike about it, and I couldn't stop the feeling that he had indeed, somehow... been turned to stone.

'Moss, listen...' Mesprit suddenly spoke up in my mind again, 'I don't know how they could turn him to stone, but... that must be what happened. The four Tapu's guard special portals, which connect our world to another- that must be where the beasts came from. And it's likely... where they took Cosmog.'

I felt my mouth slowly drop open as she spoke. So... my friend, she was...

I peered up into the portal, watching as it swirled and shimmered brilliantly. It seemed even more ominous to me now. Cosmog was in there. They had taken her to another world.. they were from another dimension perhaps, just like me. They had wanted to take me there as well, and as far as we knew, there was no way back.

I clenched my fists, and stood up from the ground. 'Tell Sakura what's happening, she'll need to explain everything to the guild. I don't know when we'll be back, but... We'll be fine, I promise.' Mesprit hastily agreed, but I wasn't really listening anymore. Cosmog... We were going to save her if it's the last thing I do!

I turned to my friends, and they peered up at me, seeing the fire in my eyes. Snowflake smiled softly, and Kubo grinned. They didn't know my plan, and yet they were still willing to support me through anything, and it made my heart clench with joy. They really were the best...

Hunter wilted fearfully, "we're not gonna go home now, are we?"

Kubo answered for me with a tired, yet smug grin. "Nope."


	11. Chapter 11

I turned to look at my friends. It didn't take long to explain the situation to them, about Tapu Koko and what this strange vortex must mean. Kubo and Snowflake were equally determined, and I could tell they were prepared to do whatever it took to help me save my friend. Hunter, on the otherhand, only grew more and more apprehensive as my explanation went on.

"We're really going to fight some monsters? Just like that giant one that kidnapped us? There's no way!" He snapped at me fearfully. I reached out my paws to him placatingly.

"It's okay- we'll be sneaky... If things go well, we won't end up fighting anything." I said, but Hunter bit back harshly.

"Yeah? If things go well? What if we get caught? What'll we do!" He snarled, but despite his angry expression, I could tell he was more frightened than anything else.

"Then we'll run back through the portal!" Kubo chimed in, wrapping an arm around Hunters neck casually. "We can handle anything, because we'll do it together!"

"That's right," Snowflake nodded, "you have us to protect you, Hunter..."

Hunter sighed and his ears drooped... he didn't seem convinced, but he didn't seem inclined to fight anymore. At the very least, he was confident enough that we'd stay true to our word and try to protect him.

I nodded resolutely. "Okay. I'll count to three, and we'll jump into the vortex together." The four of us stepped up to each other and I grabbed Snowflakes shoulder. Kubo grabbed her other shoulder and kept up his firm grip around Hunter. "Make sure not to let go of each other until the end. Does everyone understand?" I asked seriously.

Everyone had the same determined face like mine, except Hunter, who was really frightened. Honestly, I didn't wanted to force him to come with us, but we were going into a different world, and the more help we could get, the better. "One," I started counting. We all tensed and gripped each other tighter. "Two," I kept my eyes solidly on the vortex. "Three!" and with that, we jumped into the portal. Hunter dragged behind slightly, but Kubo held fast and pulled him with us.

There was a bright flash of light, and I cringed and shut my eyes. Everything happened so fast that we didn't feel anything. One jump, and we were already there. We landed solidly on the ground as if we had simply jumped into the air, and yet I still managed to stumble and lost my grip on Snowflake, barely keeping myself from falling to my knees.

I heard a soft, awed gasp from Hunter. I looked back at my friends and saw them all gaping up at our surroundings, and when I too saw what this place looked like, I too gasped in shock. The first thing I noticed was it looked like a dark cave with several colorful diamonds poking out of the walls. They were polished and smooth, twinkling brilliantly in the small beams of light that pried through the tiny cracks in the ceiling. A long dark stone path rolled out under us, that must've lead somewhere...

So this... was Ultra Space?

The second thing I noticed was that this place wasn't empty. Lots of unknown creatures floated around everywhere. They looked like jellyfish with hats and tentacles, but nothing more. In the middle of their bodies was a big hole, instead of where you'd expect a head and face to be- if it was human. They floated around absently, but with purpose... It was as if they were looking for something... something that they didn't have.

A body.

I shivered, and ushered my friends to stay together. "Come on, we need to get through this place quickly..." I turned to Snowflake and reached out my hand, "come on, we don't want to get separated."

"We dont want to be seen, either," Snowflake frowned, "we should be careful, and hid behind any rocks we can find... those things are creepy and I'm certain they're dangerous."

"You're right... Okay, c'mon let's go." I grabbed Snowflake and dragged her into the shaded darkness that ran along the walls. She moved past me to lead the way, waving a tail to invite me to grab ahold of it. I did, and we sidled along the walls as quickly as we could. I could hear Hunter softly whimpering, and for a moment I dared to look back and see what was going on. His eyes were wide and fearful as he gazed up at the beasts, and the only thing keeping him from losing his cool was the sturdy, secure hand of Kubo's that rested around his shoulders. I felt sorry for Hunter.

This place was really creepy, but pretty at the same time. Still, it was hard to appreciate the beauty of it with those creepy bodyless things floating about...

As we walked, we entered a large room with a ceiling as high as a cathedral's. Snowflake suddenly stopped us, which made us bump into each other. I blinked and looked up at what had made her pause, and I froze. "What was this for?" Kubo hissed angrily, when he suddenly realized what it was that had us so stunned upon following our gazes.

Up high above our heads, many of the strange jellyfish beasts were lazily drawing around something, as if somewhat draw to it. They let out small, high-pitched murmurings, but try as I might, I couldn't make out any words. They all seemed to be whispering urgently. Underneath all their fervent gathering, stood a spire made up of many disjointed crystals. It glittered in the sparce light beautifully.

And in the middle of the room, at the top of the spire, there she was...

My friend.

My heart jolted. My breath stopped for a moment. There she was... and it was no denying it was her. I could tell somehow... it felt like her. She had the same presence as in my dream...

Cosmog was admittedly smaller than I expected. Situated between two crystals, she seemed to be suspended there withing some kind of forcefield. She was small, round, and rather cute. She had a young face, that was twisted up in pain as the crystals did something to her. It was almost as if it was sapping her energy... I wasn't exactly sure, but it didn't matter anyway. She was in trouble, and needed us.

I looked back to my friends, "how are we supposed to rescue her?" I asked with an urgent whisper.

Kubo broke the silence first. "I suggest we set a trap," he said seriously, "we need to get the beasts out of the way, so we can break the cage on Cosmog."

"Sound good to me... but what we can do to distract those things?" Snowflake asked, as we looked back up at those things worriedly. "There's so many... and I don't know if we could take them..."

Yeah... what were suppose to do to get rid of them?

"Umm... maybe I can use my illusions to cover us against them?" Someone asked from behind us, and all of us jumped to look for the source. Hunter, while still cowering fearfully behind us, had finally managed to collect himself enough to help think of a plan. I almost hit myself in the forehead in realizing how simple his idea was. Duh, of course! His power could hide us from everyone, so they wouldn't know we were approaching to attack!

I jumped up to him and grapped his face with my hands. "That's it! With your illusions, we could save Cosmog without alerting any defenses, and we would be protected from those flying beasts too!"

Both Snowflake and Kubo nodded with confident grins forming on their faces. "Alright, let's do that," Kubo said.

Hunter blinked at me with wide, shocked eyes. "But... I'll only do it if I can stay here. Please..." He begged softly, wilting in my hands. I stared at him seriously for a moment. We looked into each other's eyes and silently nodded. We both knew he wasn't ready for a fight yet. Hunter smiled timidly at me and pulled away from my grasp, before turning and hiding deeper into the rocks and shadows.

"Okay- Kubo, you go to the left," I pointed along the wall where he would hide. "Snowflake you should go to the right," I pointed to my right and Snowflake nodded seriously. "I'll take the middle."

"Wait- but there's no cover, what if they spot you?" Snowflake frowned worriedly, "you'll be out there on your own..."

"Hey, come on, I'll be fine," I turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hunter will shield me from view, and I need to be the one to get to Cosmog, while you two cover me!"

"I dunno Moss... do you really think Hunter can do it?" Kubo rubbed his arms nervously. I turned and looked back at Hunters hiding place, he was a bit too far to hear our soft murmurings, but he blinked and raised his head upon noticing my gaze. He looked afraid, but ready.

I nodded at him. He nodded back and put on a brave face. I turned to my friends, "Yeah, I know he can do it. Now let's go!"

They nodded and we split up, starting to move behind the rocks along our separate paths. Seeing our movements, Hunter activated his illusions to hide us. As far as the beasts could tell, we would be invisible. Since they didn't have eyes, however, I could only hope it made us invisible to whatever other senses they'd be using too.

I drew closer, and I thought the beasts could sense something, as they started to shiver and wail. I froze and held my breath. But their focus remained on Cosmog, so I sighed in relief, realizing they didn't notice anything. This made things much easier... Hunters illusion was working.

I watched closely as Kubo and Snowflake drew near to the tower. The beasts were close over their heads. I took that as a sign to move towards the crystals. I ran up and placed my paws upon the cold rocky surface. It'd be a bit rough to climb, but I would try. Still, there was no way I'd get through there undetected even with the illusion in place- there were just too many beasts. So I gave the signal, and Kubo hit one of beasts in the head with a water gun.

It was an odd beast, the only one in the room that didn't resemble a jellyfish. It looked almost like a giant clown, but with a ball for a head. I had seen its type before. The beast became mad, and started run towards the direction Kubo's attach had come from throwing it's heads everywhere in hopes of hitting him. Huge explosions wracked through the area. Chaos ensued.

That was my cue to climb.

To my right, Snowflakes attack came next. She used an ice beam to a small awarm of the jellyfish beasts who had seemingly ignored the rampage, and upon being hit they screeched loudly and finally moved, going off in Snowflakes direction and blindly shooting off power gems. My friends had given me a free path to the top. I climbed as quickly as I could, hoping to make sure my friends didn't need to distract the beasts for too long...

I had to work fast. I reached the top and blinked up into the tiny little face of my friend. Cosmog was unconscious, and she seemed ot be in pain... "Don't worry, Cosmog, I'll get you out of there..!" I murmured softly to her, but I wondered if she'd even be able to see me if she was awake, thanks to Hunters illusions...

I shook my head. That wasnt important. I tried to break the crystals that were holding her in place, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough...

Then I suddenly got an idea. I wasn't strong enough... but they were. I climbed down a small ways and turned, grinning as I saw the clown beast still rampaging, it was throwing explosions wildly now, unsure of where the attacker was. Both Snowflake and Kubo were keeping it confused with their attacks. But now I was going to add to it- I used pin missile and it, and it screeched angrily, turning towards the tower. I jumped down quickly as it grabbed its head and threw it at me.

With a large BOOOMM!!! the crystals above my head shattered into pieces, and my friend- my friend was suddenly falling! I gasped, and against my better judgement I leapt off to catch her. I reached out and grabbed her, wrapping my arms around her tiny whispy body, but then instead of landing bodily on the ground, I landed on one of the jellyfish beasts.

I bounced off of it and landed quite softly onto the ground. I jolted up to find Cosmog sitting peacefully in my lap. I let out an exhausted sigh of relief. I was so happy... I had finally saved my friend... I blinked up to look around at what had happened.

The tower of crystals was completely demolished, jagged pieces pointing out every which way, and a strange electric pulse zapped around at the top. It wasn't going to be holding any more cosmogs hostage that was for sure. I hugged my friend to myself gently... she would be okay now.

"Moss, watch out!" Someone cried from behind me, and suddenly a dark pulse shot out above my head. I gasped and spun around, watching as the beast I had bounced off of landed unconscious on the ground. I looked up and saw.. Hunter. He stood tall on the rock he had been supposed to be hiding behind. "It was trying to grab you!" He shouted at me, "from touching it... your illusion has worn off!"

Oh. Well, that wasn't good.

I leapt to my feet, Cosmog hugged to my chest, and began stumbling towards him. I ran up to him and urgently insisted we get out of here as quickly as possible. "I have Cosmog, let's go!"

"They're weak to water," Hunter said seriously, and I blinked at him. He nodded, "I was watching! Kubo's attacks do more damage to them than Snowflakes..." His confidence slowly melted away as he spoke, and he ducked his head with a small smile, "so... Kubo should back us."

"Sounds good to me," I said tiredly, and gave him a thumbs up before running back out of the room, my friends close behind me. We all ran towards the portal. The beasts were close behind us, attacking from all directions. Kubo and Snowflake tried to reflect their moves, but upon looking back I could tell they were getting worn out. This couldn't go on and we weren't strong enough to take out all of them.

Finally we reached the portal, but as we drew near, I paled- it was hovering high above out heads. It was too high up to cross through it. 'W-was it always that so high up?" Snowflake gasped, running up to my side and panting in exhaustion.

We were stuck here...

I almost collapsed. My legs threatened to give out under me, and the only reason they didn't was the small, unconscious pokemon in my hands. I had to protect her... But everything had been going so well. We had Cosmog, we had saved her... we survived the battle- we had just narrowly escaped, but...

In the end... was there really no way out?

"What are we supposed to do now!" Hunter barked, "is this the end..? Did you bring me here just to get me killed?" He glared at me, but the effect was weakened by how glassy his eyes were. I moved my mouth in an attempt to respond, but I couldn't make any sound.

"There was no way any of us would know this would happen!" Kubo snapped at Hunter angrily, stepping between him and me. Hunter reared back and sniffled miserably, but the glare remained on his face.

"Well it did! And we're doomed!" He sobbed, "I should've known!"

"You don't know that! We're not dead yet!" Kubo growled, and stomped his foot, but there were already beasts crowding around us, screeching and growling animalistically...

All I could do was look down at my friend. "I'm sorry that I- no... that we couldn't say you again.."I murmured. I looked up at Snowflake, and saw her frowning at me tearfully... I could feel my own tears sting at the back of my eyes.

But then, a yellow light came from Cosmog, and I blinked back down at her. She opened her glowy yellow eyes and looked up at me. "You're... awake..!" I gasped softly. She then peered at all the beasts crowding around us. She took a deep breath and then began floating up into the air. My friends and I- and all the beasts- were sudenly silent... watching her in awe as she slowly began to glow.

There was a suddenly bright flash of light and I gasped, shutting my eyes. When I opened them again.. we weren't in the Ultra Space anymore.

We were in our world. I turned and saw the bright blue portal still shimmering behind me. All my friends were here with me too- Snowflake blinked around in confusion; Kubo glared in alarm; and Hunter hesitantly uncurled from the fearful ball he had rolled up into. None of us had any idea what had happened...

"Ah! Moss!" A small voice cried out from above us and I jumped and looked up- Cosmog was still hovering above us, and to my alarm, she was still glowing. In fact... she was glowing even brighter. "I know you will help me... don't forget, you are worth more than you think you are..."

I teared up again, it was so strange to hear her voice in real life... "I won't!" I called to her, but after that the bright light began to shrink smaller and smaller... then it faded completely. Hovering in Cosmogs place... was a small oval-shaped thing with a sleeping face.

I blinked at her in confusion. What... just happened? I looked around at my friends and they all just shrugged and frowned in confusion. None of us could figure out what had happened. But one thing was sure. My friend was alive, she was with us, we had saved her... Or had she saved us?

And now she had a different body... had she evolved?

"Moss, look!" Kubo said, and we looked back up to see my friend slowly begin to drift over to the statue- to Tapu Koko. she began to glow and then the statue began to glow as well. Miracles of miracles, the stone slowly began to crack. My eyes went wide and I gasped in awe, as the cracks began stretching all across it, until finally it shattered with another flash of light. Hunter yelped at my side and I hid my face behind my arms.

The first thing I heard was the sound of electricity crackling across the rocks. I peered out through my fingers and saw a large, yellow figure.

He had the same shape as the statue, so I knew this had to be Tapu Koko... he was bright yellow and orange, and covered in feathers. He seemed to be laced with energy, and he whipped his head around to glare down at me. I gulped. He loked arond at all my friends, his gaze serous and intense. Then with a loud trilling cry, he zipped up to the portal. He hovered before it, and with a soft swishing sound, he forced the portal closed.

My eyes went wide as I realized what that meant. One down... four to go.

"Guys- we're making progress..!" I gasped and beamed at them. Kubo and Snowflake grinned back at me, and Kubo high fived me.

Hunter, however, pouted, "But there's still three left, aren't there..?"

"Yeah, but we should be happy we've closed any of them at all! Our job is done for now... I know we all want to go home now," Snowflake said with a tired smile, "I for one am tired and hurt..." She glared down at her body, usually pure white but now turned brown with dirt.

She was right... "we're in pretty bad shape, huh?" I laughed.

"But hey, we even managed to save Moss' friend!" Kubo said, gesturing up to her as she continued to hover above us. "We should celebrate!" He cheered with a goofy smile. Snowflake and I grinned, looking up at Cosmog. I sighed in relief. My friend slowly began lowering down to the ground, and landed with a gentle tink.

"Is she okay?" Snowflake asked with a frown. I stepped up to her and lifted her up into my arms again. SHe was a bit heavier now, and she seemed to be unconscious again...

"I think she just needs to rest," I said softly, and folded her into my arms. I smiled and rested my chin on her head.

"That's sweet and all- but have you forgotten? We don't know how to get HOME!" Hunter cried. We all jumped in shock and fell quiet. He was right... we had been knocked out- and we were taken so far... we had no idea how to get home.

"Thank you for your help, little ones..." A male voice said from behind us. We turned around to see Tapu Koko himself standing before us. "Without you, I would still be encased in stone- and the portal would still be open, allowing those beasts access to our world." He stretched his arms out and bowed his head graciously. "I am indebted to you... how can I thank you?"

We all stared at him, a bit shellshocked. After everything we had been through today, we still couldn't help but be entranced by his divinity. To have such a powerful, divine creature bowing to us... I hadn't realized we had actually managed to do something so important.

I had just wanted to save my friend, and if it meant I needed to be the one to save the world, then...

I was the first one to speak up. "I-it's nothing.. we're glad to help," I smiled. Kubo stepped up to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"He's right, but... I do have some questions for you-" he paled at his own casual tone- "if you don't mind, that is!"

Tapu Koko let out a sort breath of amusement and bowed his head again, "you may ask all you wish, little one." Tapu Koko said smoothly.

"Right..." Kubo took a deep breath, "well, we kind of know what's happening, but we need more information about it- like this Necrozma guy. And why he wants Cosmog! And who is Cosmog anyway? Can you tell us?" He said quite quickly. His expression was serious, but his urgency was enough to make a small amused smile break onto my face.

Tapu Koko seemed to agree, as he huffed out another small laugh and settled down in front of us. "Yes, I can tell you," he said. We all crowded in front of him. Although Hunter was somewhat sitting behind Snowflake, nervous from being in the guardians presence. "Necrozma is an Ultra Beast himself. He was indeed a very powerful one, one who fed on light. However, something happened to him... I am not sure what it was- but his body fell apart, leaving a ugly dark prism behind. He yearns to be himself again. But he can't do that alone- he needs Cosmog."

Tapu Koko pointed one of his large claw-like hands at my friend as she sat innocently in my lap. "Cosmog's species also come from the Ultra Space," Tapu Koko continued, and I gasped, my eyes wide and locking onto his. He gazed back at me intensely. "However, their purpose is to travel across the many worlds of Ultra Space... and to share their light with whoever shall need it."

"So she's a good Ultra Beast!" Kubo cut in with an excited grin, "that's cool!"

"Kubo..." Snowflake hit him lightly with her tails to get him to shush. He crossed his arms and pouted.

Tapu Koko tilted his head curiously, his expression still totally serious. "Indeed, it is 'cool.' Although they can only share their light in their fully evolved form," his gaze was drawn down to her as she sat in my lap, "this is her second form: Cosmoem."

"I see..." I murmured, looking down at her. So she had evolved after all, and her name was Cosmoem now... I had only just met her and she was already changing... "So, wait," I blinked at Tapu Koko and frowned nervously, "Necrozma wants her to be in her final form then, doesn't he..."

Tapu koko nodded solemnly. I sighed and rested my chin on Cosmoem's head again. This was all such a mess...

"There's something I don't understand, if you don't mind me asking..." Snowflake spoke up softly, "How do you know about all of this, Tapu Koko?" I wasn't sure if that was a polite thing to ask a guardian diety, but he didn't seem to be offended. He cooed softly as he considered his answer.

"Well, little one, this is not the first time our world has had contact with theirs. The other tapu and I have had a relationship with the cosmog species in the past... and we helped each other. Therefore there are very few beings privy to this knowledge." He puffed out his chest confidently and smiled at her, appreciative of her curiousity. He appeared to be quite proud of himself...

Snowflake giggled and turned away shyly at his look. "Really? That's so interesting... have other beasts ever come here?"

"The dangerous beasts have managed to find their way here before," Tapu Koko said with a nod, "but the other tapu's and I fought them back valiantly!"

'Not the most humble creature,' I thought in irritation. I huffed as Snowflakes eyes seemed to shine with fascination.

"Tapu Koko, I have another question," she sat up straight and grinned, "Moss' friend- the Cosmoem- she called him here into this world so he could help her. He's not originally from this world.. or a pokemon. Is there any chance we can defeat Necrozma together?" She asked hopefully.

The tapu looked at me thoughtfully for a long moment. I swallowed anxiously at the intensity of his gaze. But then he looked back to Snowflake with a soft smile. "I believe so, yes..." Snowflake beamed, but before she could speak, he continued, "But how- that is another question. Maybe if I were to discuss it with my siblings- but...' He wilted slightly, a sad look flittering through his eyes. I felt my irritation and anxiety fade. I frowned sympathetically. They were all turned to stone, just like him.

"Don't worry," I said seriously, and he blinked up at me, "We'll save them!"

Kubo and Snowflake both nodded, "Yeah!" and Hunter looked between the rest of us, nervously hoping he wasn't included in that equation.

Tapu Koko grinned and bowed his head. He was thankful of our encouragement and gave a soft, relieved sigh. "Anyway.. you all must get home before nightfall. It's very dangerous to be outside at night, with all those beasts around," he eyed the lot of us closely, "not to mention you'll definitely need your rest, from your injuries."

"Um... that's the thing," Kubo said weakly, "We don't know how to get back to the guild... It's in a small village, on a mountain-"

"Ah... so you are a part of Miss Serperior's guild?" Tapu Koko grinned at us and we gaped at him in suprise. "That explains how you were capable of rescuing Cosmoem-"

"Wait! you know the guildmaster?" Kubo asked incredulously. Tapu Koko nodded.

"Her guild is renowned for the many great heroes and explorers it has produced! And indeed I once had the chance to meet her myself, when she visited me and all my siblings.. Few have managed to find all of us. She is truly a very skilled explorer." Tapu Koko hummed softly for a moment, a bit lost in his thoughts. "She was quite nice, happy to indulge me in a battle..."

He seemed happy to recall the memory.

Wow... even though I knew she was talented, for some reason I never imagined the guildmaster would have such a side to her. Interesting...

"I know right?" Kubo said tactlessly, grinning excitedly. "She's the best! Everyone in my village knows her," he jumped up from his seated position with gusto. "I wish I could see her fight!" I blinked at him. Hunter seemed confused at his energy while Snowflake rolled her eyes lightheartedly at his childish reaction.

"Unfortunately, while she did come to visit me, it was shortly before the creation of her guild... so I am unsure of its location. But!" he jumped up suddenly and we all yelped in surprise, "I know someone who can help you find your way back."

He started to fly out of the ruins, and we all scrambled to our feet in order o race after him. he seemed to be going at a leisurely pace, but for us it was a bit hard to keep up with! As we reached the mouth of the ruins, I could see the sun was already setting past the horizon. The clouds were starting to glow a soft, fiery orange, and sunbeams pried through the trees to dapple across the ground beautifully. But as beautiful as it was.. it filled me with dread.

Tapu Koko hovered before us, and pointing out towards a path that lead into the forest. It already looked as dark as night in there...

"Follow this path, and you will meet him." Tapu Koko said seriously. "But be warned... many pokemon who enter his domain never return, and if they do... they have lost their minds."

"What!? We almost died in that stupid Ultra Space thing and now you want us to walk into more danger!?" Hunter cried angrily. "We can't survive that!" I had to admit, I agreed with Hunter. I would much prefer we take a safer route. Whatever this person was, I doubted it'd be easy to handle him. We were already exhausted...

"I know, little ones... but only he can help you get back. But since it is late, you may stay here with me tonight," he turned back and smiled at us, "Take a rest, for now.. you deserve it."

We nodded hesitantly, tired and a bit sad that there was no other choice. "Thank you for having us, Tapu Koko..." Snowflake said softly, and we all followed in thanking him. He shook his head.

"No need to thank me... I have not had company in a long while, and I am in your debt for saving me."

Within the ruins, Tapu Koko made a small fire, and we all gathered together under a pillar to keep warm together. That night we didn't talk much, besides Snowflake absently asking Tapu Koko questions about his experiences... and Kubo excitedly asking for all the exciting details. Hunter curled up close to me, and I hugged Cosmoem to my chest... I decided I'd let my friends stay up, but me and Hunter were ready to finally get some sleep...

'Moss!'

"Waah!" I jolted up at the suddenly voice, startling Hunter. "What's wrong with you? Getting so jumpy all of a sudden..." he mumbled grumpily and lowered his head again. I looked around for the source of the voice.

'What happened? Are you okay? Could you save Cosmog?' The voice asked, and I realized with a sigh of relief that it was just Mesprit again, speaking to me with telepathy. I could tell she was worried, not just about me, but also about Cosmoem... they had been friends too, hadn't they...

I leaned back against the pillar and shut my eyes again, holding Cosmoem securely. She seemed almost to purr as she slept in my grasp. 'Everything is fine.. nobody got hurt and we have Cosmog here with us- she evolved into a Cosmoem too.' I replied mentally, yawning as I settled back down again. I told Mesprit about Tapu Koko being freed, and the portal being closed... 'for tonight we're staying at the ruins with him, because we're too far away to get home in one night...'

'That's good,' Mesprit said softly, 'Tapu Koko will be good protection for you, since you can't be protected by a repel...'

'There's a lot Tapu Koko told us, but there's something I don't understand...' I said softly, although I was falling more and more asleep as the seconds went on. 'There's someone nearby who can help us return home.. but something tells me he's really dangerous. Tapu Koko said we might lose our minds by going there...'

Mesprit was silent at first, and I wasn't sure what to make of that. I was slowly drifting off, too tired to wonder why she was suddenly so hesitant...

'Sakura and I were worried sick... I'm glad you could rescue Cosmoem, and Tapu Koko... and that all of you are alright. I'll let you get some sleep, you seem tired. I'll talk to you tomorrow.' She said softly. I nodded, even though she couldn't see me.

'Good night...' I murmured, and finally drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Kubo thought it would be a great idea if we all got up and left as quickly as possible, so as to avoid nightfall again. So he woke us up very early in the morning. Needless to say everyone was delighted...

Snowflake grumbled and pouted even as she stood and started packing our things. Hunter curled up into an even tighter ball as Kubo shook his shoulder, "wake up sleepyhead!!" "I am awake, leave me alooone..." By the time Kubo got to me I was already resigned to my fate, so I stood up and yawned. Tapu Koko was sitting on the ground watching us, and I wondered if he even needed to sleep. He seemed to have already been awake.

Looking up through the cracks in the ceiling of the ruins, I saw how beautiful the sunrise was. Thinking about what Koko said about Necrozma... I was determined to keep the light of our world safe.

I held Cosmoem close to my chest, a hope surging through me. She was safe, and I'd never let her get hurt.

"What should we do with her?" Snowflake said, walking up to my side and tilting her head with a tired frown. "Cosmog- I mean Cosmoem- she's in a hybernative state... you can't just be carrying her around when we could be in danger.."

"Don't sweat it!" Kubo said, hopping up to my side and taking my bag from me, slinging it over his shoulder. "Put her in here!" He opened the mostly empty bag. I grinned softly, a little amused at the idea. I gently placed her inside, and he shut the bag securely. "There! Now she'll be safe," Kubo put his hands on his hips confidently and then turned to run off.

He turned back and waved as he ran. "Come on guys, let's hurry!" Kubo gestured for us to follow him, making his hasty way out the mouth of the ruins. We sluggishly followed, and drew towards the edge of that path that Tapu Koko pointed out to us.

"Good luck on your journey." Tapu Koko appeared behind us and we jumped to blink at him. He smiled and gave us a little wave. We waved back to him. Snowflake seemed to cheer up a little, abandonding her sluggish exhaustion to smile at him brightly. He noded encouragingly, thanked us again, and we started on our way.

We walked for a short while along the path to the forest. When we arrived, we found that even if the sun was already high in the sky, the forest was still dark. The trees' canopy touched each other, blocking any light that could touch the ground. However, there was still light in some places.. but the light didn't look like sunlight dappling across the grassy floor. So what was that?

"Guys... are we really going in there? Can't we find another way?" Hunter begged. I could tell he was still under the shock what happened in the Ultra Space. I wanted to say something to enourage him, but Kubo spoke over me.

"Don't be such a torchic. I'm sure everything will be okay." He huffed confidently, refusing to be discouraged. "We just need to tell that pokemon that we want to go home, and ask him to show the way. It's simple, not dangerous at all."

Hunter slumped down and looked away. "Yes, but... what if he tries to kill us before we can even ask any questions?" Hunter asked, shaking from the thought.

"It doesn't matter... we have to try it. Righty now, he is the only one who is able to help us. And, well... I have a feeling we won't meet any other pokemon in this area." Snowflake said. She gave Hunter a soft smile, "so the path won't be dangerous."

Hunter didn't seem calmed however, as he only growled and bared his teeth. "Of course there's no pokemon in there!" He barked, "only idiots would ever go in there!" Snowflake blinked in surprise at his agitation, but I could see tears shimmering on the corners of his eyes. I could tell he knew we were right, that we had no other choice- but still he couldn't help but hope that there was some other way. I stepped over to him and hugged him around the neck, resting my head on his. To my surprise, Snowflake sidled up at Hunters side and leaned into him, and Kubo came up to wrap an arm around him as well.

"I know you're scared.. I'm scared too.." Snowflake said softly, and at her words I could feel his muscles relax slightly.

I spoke up softly as well, "I wish we could find a safer way, but we don't know which way is home.. and we're really far away. We have to take this opportunity." I ran my hand through his fur to calm him.

"And after all, who knows what will happen?" Kubo said jovially. I raised an eyebrow at him to tell him to shush, and he shrugged at me in return. I rested my head back down on Hunters again.

"I won't let you get killed, okay? I promise." I said softly. He relaxed again and looked down. He nodded gently, but didn't say anything. We all pulled away from him and I gave him a big confident smile. He smiled hesitantly back.

I turned back towards the entrance to the forest and looked between Snowflake and Kubo's determined faces. "We're ready," I said seriously, "let's go."

-

The sun was high above our heads as we made our way through the forest, but it was still somehow totally dark. Snowflake had been right in saying that we wouldn't encounter anyone- it was ominously empty in the forest, with only sound being the trees' leaves rustling in the breeze. We weren't exactly sure what we were looking for, but finding anybody within this forest seemed to be a good start. We stopped to eat a few times, but we didn't have much left from what we brough from home.

We hadn't exactly been planning on getting kidnapped, but thankfully Snowflake made us keep a lot of food on us in general. She was always so prepared...

it turns out the strange lights that I saw were actually pretty little mushrooms, glowing a soft blue and pink colour. they dotted the area and were the only proper light source in the whole forest. Even though I knew it had to still be midday, it wasn't easy to tell. I played with the thought of the whole world being like this. Eternal darkness, with only the lights we create to guide us. Glowing plants and torches being all we had... I could only imagine night plants and pokemon surviving.

Likewise i imagined it would be pretty for a while, but... having the world like this forever would be awful.

Even if the sky was still filled with stars, the planet would be cold and dead... eventually nothing would be able to survive...

"Hey Moss, are you alright?" I voice cut through my thoughts.

"Ah!" I gasped and shook my head, turning to see Kubo's confused expression. "Yes, I'm fine.. I was just lost in my thoughts..." I looked away from him to see where we were.

We were coming upon a small village. My eyes grew wide upon seeing it, I truly had started to think nothing would live here. But it seemed some pokemon did really live here.. but then I looked closer. Houses were old and crumbling, ivy and vines growing out of the walls. Some even had trees breaking through their roofs. The roads were equally overgrown... the place looked more like Tapu Koko's ruins than a village pokemon would live in.

I guessed that nobody had lived here... for a very long time.

"Look at that..." Kubo said softly, but there was some awe in his voice.. I could tell he was excited to see something I was sure nobody had seen in ages. Snowflake shook her head pityingly, and Hunter cowered fearfully. I had to agree with Hunter... ruins like this did not bode well.

We walked through the village, hesitantly stepping over large rocks and debris. It looked like it may have even been abandoned in a rush...

"I wonder what happened?" Snowflake said with a sad look. I could tell she pitied whoever had lived here. "Those poor pokemon... This place looks like it must've been so happy once..."

As we made our way through we came upon something strange. Standing tall above us was a sudden rock wall, stretching up above the trees. I couldn't tell how tall it was, but I was sure it had to be a mountain, because there was a huge cave entrance in the rocky cliffside. The cave lead into darkness, which no end in sight. The stalactites and stalgmites looked like teeth, as if entering would be like walking into our doom...

"Do you think this is where we're supposed to be?" I asked, looking up at the huge mouth of the tunnel. "Do you think that strange pokemon is in here?"

"I think so, yes..." Snowflake said softly, "but I'm not sure.." she turned to me worriedly.

Kubo scratched at the back of his head thoughtfully, a nervous look on his face. "Well, there isn't anywhere else to go... let's go and figure it out!" He narrowed his eyes seriously, pulled the bag strap higher on his shoulder, and started marching towards the cave. I looked at Snowflake and Hunter with trepidation, briefly before following behind him.

I still couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the pokemon who had lived here before...

We had only taken our first steps into the darkness of the cave, before Hunter stopped us. "Moss... I- I-... I can't," he stuttered, his eyes wide and shimmering again, "I don't want to... I can't..."

I felt my heart twist. I stepped up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "hey, I know you're scared... but remember what I promised."

He looked at me with tears in his eyes and nodded, "I hope you can keep that promise..." he narrowed his eyes and glared rather pathetically at me, "if not! Well- then my ghost will haunt you for eternity!!"

I laughed softly and lightly punched his shoulder before stepping back, "sounds good to me!"

"And don't worry Hunter, we'll help you as well!" Kubo said, nodding at Snowflake, "Thats how a team works! We take care of each other." I couldn't hide my pleased grin. I was glad that my friends had finally started to accept him.

We finally made our way inside the cave. Unlike outside, with the occasional mushroom and beam of sunlight to guide us, in the cave it was totally dark.. We couldn't see anything. Hunter had frowned in confusion when we mentioned being unable to see (and actually had it in him to laugh when I walked into a wall); and that was when we realized he could see in the dark. After that, we made him walk in front. He was much less amused at that prospect. But I could tell he was trying to be brave, so he did it, leading us deeper into the cave.

As we went, I felt something strange. It almost felt as if something was... watching us. I hoped that it was that pokemon Tapu Koko had talked about. He must be friendly, right? He surely wasn't dangerous like we all were suspecting... I had to know.

"Hello?" I stopped suddenly, crying out into the darkness. My voice echoed all around us, scaring my friends, who bumped into me from behind. "Are you there?" I continued.

"Moss!" Kubo whispered angrily, "what in the world do you think you're doing!?"

"I have a feeling someone is watching us," I whispered back with a nervous shrug, "I was just... greeting him." I could barely see anything in the darkness, but even I could see the disbelieving expressions on Kubo and Snowflake's faces. For a moment I felt rather stupid, until I turned to see what Hunter thought, and realized I couldn't see anything, and he had been quiet for quite a while.

I reached out to touch him and felt nothing. "Hunter?" I called into the darkness, "Hunter are you there?"

"Hush," from a small distance, I heard Hunters voice snap back seriously. It was his voice, but... his tone was distinctly different. "Not so loud. Leave this place, now!" I blinked in surprise, what was this about..? A feeling of unease passed over me and even though I couldn't see them, I knew my friends felt the same way.

"Hunter? What's up with you...?" Snowflake murmured worriedly. I felt her step up to my side, and I rested my hand on her back for support. Her presence reassured me, but the dread in my gut didn't go away.

"You can go right on back the way you came. Leave now, because if you don't, I will make your death a horrible one." Hunter's voice was short and clipped, his words a harsh and dire warning. But now it was very clear it wasn't truly him... His voice echoed around us everywhere. I felt a rush of cold flow around my body. I could feel myself go pale. This must be the one we were looking for... and indeed he was the one intending to drive us mad...

Was Hunter already..?

"Look, we're sorry we barged into your territory," Snowflake said shakily into the darkness, "but Tapu Koko himself sent us to you! He said you're the only one who knows the way back to Serperior's Guild." Following her words, the strange voice was contemplatively silent.

"We humbly request your help," I managed to mumble softly, bowing my head, "we will be on our way immediately if you can help us find the way-"

"Yeah," Kubo said sternly, trying to be brave. He put his hands on his hips, "and I'm sure Sakura and Mesprit are worried sick about-"

"MESPRIT!?" The voice suddenly snarled, serious and demanding. "Did you say Mesprit!? How do you know her?" Through the darkness I could feel some kind of sudden movement, like a gust of air. When the voice spoke again, it was frightfully close now, right up next to my face. "Wait a second... I know- you must be the ones who hurt her, aren't you!?"

I jumped back in fear and tried to explain myself, "Wait- this is all just a misunderstading-"

"Where is she!?" He interrupted me by screaming in my face. I gasped and stepped back again, but suddenly something sharp dug into my hand- the harsh, sharp teeth digging into my hand were much stronger than I anticipated. Hunter never seemed to be this strong- He twisted his head and swung me against the wall. "Ah-!" I gasped and crumpled against it, and even though I could barely see, I could hear my friends step in front of me to protect me.

"You won't touch him!" I heard Snowflake snap angrily, but only silence answered. Snowflake and Kubo shifted uneasily. The darkness was our greatest enemy right now.. I wished we had some way to make light. If only we had Hunter, was he okay..?

"M-Moss..?" A familiar voice said, and suddenly I felt all three of my friends lifting me up from my position leaning against the cave wall. I stood and blinked around fearfully, a bit shaken. I reached out to blindly touch the face of my shy little friend. "Hunter..?" I breathed. He nodded and leaned onto my side.

"Are you okay? I-I'm sorry- I c-couldn't control my body..." he said shakily. I gently petted his head and smiled through the darkness. I opened my mouth to try and reassure him- but a suddenly beam of bright ice shot between us, making the both of us jump away from each other. I stumbled and collapsed onto my back. I scrambled to try and see what had happened, and in my frantic searching I could hear Kubo jump into action.

"Snowflake! What are you-!" He grunted and then yelped as if getting shoved to the side. Then suddenly I could see Snowflake's eyes glaring down at me, inches from my face. But instead of a cool icy blue, they were bright yellow, and glowed eerily in the darkness. She bared her fangs and shot forward to attack, and it was all I could do to dodge her. I didn't want to hurt her- and I realized now that Hunter had not lost his mind...

He and Snowflake had been possessed...

"Look out Moss!" Hunter cried as I stumbled to my feet and was unable to avoid another ice beam Snowflake sent at me. "Gaah-!" I yelped as I was flung against the wall and my body became encased in ice. I forgot how weak I was to the cold.. her ice attacks were so painful. It almost reminded me of the day I met her, freezing out there on the icy mountain...

I looked up into the darkness and saw her approaching, with those glowing yellow eye... "Snowflake- I know this isn't you! You have to fight it-!" I gasped and pulled at my arms, trying to escape the ice imprisoning me. I looked at her pleadingly. I saw her charge another ice beam, preparing to freeze me completely. "Don't do this..." I implored her- but then a dark pulse knocked her away.

She shot off into the darkness and landed heavily with a loud grunt. I blinked when I didn't hear her get back up, she was surely unconscious. As Hunter followed after her, Kubo came up to me. "Kubo- come on, dude, help me out of here-" I struggled fruitlessly for a moment before realizing... that his eyes were glowing a bright yellow now...

He snarled and raised up a hand, ready to power-up punch me. "You're going to die for what you did to her..." Kubo growled darkly, and I paled in fear. He struck me and I cried out, but I refused to give up.

"Sorry for this..." I murmured, and used pin missile on him. He yelped in pain and it knocked him off, far away from me. I tried once again to escape the ice, but I couldn't. I couldn't see anything in the darkness. How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly...

Where was Hunter? Was he alright? I couldn't hear anything... I was so cold. I promised I would protect him...

Suddenly I heard a voice echoing inside my head. 'Hello Moss, did you get help from that pokemon? Are you on your way home yet?' Mesprit asked innocently.

I gasped and my eyes shot open, immediately wide awake again. 'We found him! But- he's trying to kill us!' Mesprit's voice gasped in horror but I didn't give her time to respond, 'It's pitch black dark in here! We can't see anything! We tried to ask him for help, but as soon as we mentioned your name, he went crazy and possessed each of us to get us to kill each other. I'm stuck in ice right now, I can't move! Snowflake is unconscious, Kubo... I don't know, and Hunter...'

I paused in my plea when I saw two bring, glowing yellow eyes open up a few meters from me. They glowered at me darkly. However, they didn't look like any of the eyes my friends have...

They looked like Mesprit's.

There was a beat of complete, agonizing silence. 'I know who he is,' Mesprit said seriously in my head, 'don't worry, Moss. I'll handle him.' Our telepathic connection was cut.

I hoped she'd be fast about it- because those eyes were drawing ever closer to me. I struggled against the ice again, but as he approached, his eyes began to glow brighter with a lighter yellow colour. I suddenly felt as if something was entering my body. My muscles convulsed on thir own, and I felt as if I was a passenger in my own mind. Someone else was in control. I tried to fight back best I could, but he was really strong...

I suddenly punched out through the ice as if it were easy, and fell from the wall, catching myself on my hands and knees. I panted there for a moment, before I sat up and sat against the wall. Slowly, my hands moved up and wrapped around my neck. My fingers clasped tightly around it and pressed until I choked. I gasped in pain, searching for air. "Gaah-!" I tried to move my hands away, but it was useless. And all the while, those bright yellow eyes continued to stare down at me, impassive, angry, vengeful.

All I could do was try to hold out until Mesprit fixed this... but even though it had only been a few moments, it felt like hours...

Then the bright glowing eyes went wide in shock.. and closed. My hands let go of my neck and I felt control of my body return as I gasped for breath. I coughed and hacked on the ground, massaging my neck and shivering violently from the cold. I panted heavily, looking up through the darkness dizzily. The yellow eyes were still missing. I didn't care.

I stumbled to my feet and dragged myself as quickly as I could over to Snowflake, who was still lying unconsious on the ground. I checked her wounds worriedly. "S-Snowf-flake...' I stuttered, relieved that she didn't seem too seriously hurt.

"I apologize for attacking you," a new voice said, but it spoke in that same controlled tone that my friends had, when they were possessed.. "Mesprit told me what happened. I.. never would've hurt you if I knew."

I felt like I should get mad at him, but I ignored him. I only cared about Snowflake right now... I rested my head on her side gently, to feel her breathing. I sighed softly. Hunter... and Kubo... where were they? Were they okay? I lifted my head and looked around, but I still couldn't see.

Then, to my surprise, I felt myself and Snowflake get lifted into the air. Before I could protest, we started moving very quickly through the cave. I shut my eyes against the wind, but even though my eyes were shut I could see a bright light fade into view. I gasped and squinted against it painfully. Slowly I felt myself get lowered to the ground... I blinked my eyes open hesitantly. It took a few moments for my eyes to readjust, but after a minute I could see clearly.

I was still leaning against Snowflakes side, but we now were sitting on the shore of a huge shimmering underground lake. There was a hole bashed into the ceiling, where beautiful warm sunlight streamed in. It made the water below sparkle serenely. I could tell by looking at the sky outside, that it was nearing sunset.

I looked around. Not to far from me and Snowflake I saw my friends lying on the ground, all of them in very bad shape.. I was no different, but somehow I was the only one left conscious.

"This is my home. I am sworn to protect it, so I will do whatever it takes..." I jumped, hearing that voice speak from behind me. I had almost forgotten about him. I looked up, and saw a surprisingly small pokemon above me. He had two tails, and his body was the same shape as Mesprit's. But instead of pink, his head was blue, and was more triangular in shape. His wide, yellow eyes glowed in the same mysterious way that Mesprit's did.

he stared down at me with a stoic, controlled expression. "I jumped to conclusions about your intentions because you were intruders. I... I was very angry when I sensed Mesprit was in trouble, because I cannot leave my home. Especially during such dangerous times..." He sighed and scratched at the back of his head. "I'm.. so grafeful you saved her."

I deadpanned. He said he was thankful, but he didn't sound like it at all. He sounded more like... a kid who got scolded for doing something they weren't supposed to. I could tell he had some level of pride and was more ashamed at his failure than anything.

"...Are you Uxie or Azelf?" I asked, tilting my head with a frown, ignoring his apology, "Mesprit told me about her brothers.. but I don't know what either of you look like."

He smiled softly and floated down to my level. "I'm Azelf, the being of Willpower." He did a small bow, and I nodded. That made sense, considering he could control us... "Any friends of my sisters are friends of mine. You're very welcome here." He said gently. "And- I must admit that I was quite surprised at your strength. You resisted me tenaciously. I rarely see anyone who's will is as strong as yours; it's the only reason you survived for so long."

"Wait... what do you mean survived? You-" I gasped and leapt to my feet, running away from him and Snowflake to look over my neglected friends, "you didn't kill them did you!?" I reached for Kubo's pulse, and then Hunters, my own heart racing. After a moment of searching, I found that their heartbeats were normal. I sighed in relief and collpased back onto the ground.

"It's all thanks to Mesprit." I heard his voice behind me again. I growled in irritation to know he had followed me. "If she hadn't contacted me, its likely none of you would be alive..."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed that!" I snapped at him, and he jumped in surprise at the tearful grimace on my face. "Need I remind you that we tried to tell you the same thing she did!"

"I'm sorry, okay!" Azelf cried back, clearly embarrassed to do so. "With everything that's been going on-!" But then he cut himself off, and shut down. His face went blank and he crossed his arms. I wondered why he felt the need to hide his excuse from me.

But honestly, I didn't care. "Whatever..." I shrugges spitefully and sat down next to the lake, crossing my arms too. "So- do you know the way for us to get back to the guild or not?"

My unspoken question about this being a waste of time was not missed by him. He flew towards me and sat down in front of me. "In fact, yes, I do." He settled into the rocky pebbled beach and sat up tall and proper. "I will guide you through the cave, where we'll reach a path that will lead you directly home."

I blinked at him quietly for a moment, before turning and looking out at the lake. under the shimmering sunlight, it almost made the lake look as if it were glowing... It was like a small, little orange star shimmered just underneath the waves. I frowned, and squinted at it. Was it truly a trick of the light, or..?

"What's that?" I pointed at it, "that soft glow under the water!" Now that I was looking, it seemed to pulse with life, soft and gentle like a heartbeat. Azelf followed my gaze and frowned. He spoke seriously.

"That is the reason I cannot leave my cave. I have to protect it. It is my purpose, as well as Mesprit and Uxie. It is why I suspect she was attacked." He grew angry, frustrated perhaps, thinking about it. I knew already that that was not true. She had been attacked because of Cosmog, who was now evolved and sleeping in Kubo's bag... As Azelf continued to speak, I peered over at Kubo and hoped she was alright in there. "You see, that is the Solar Stone. It has the power of Solgaleo, as it helps control our sun. He gave it to me a long time ago... I spent a long time looking for the best place to protect it, where nobody could take it."

"And you found this cave," I supplied softly and turned to look at him, "but... what about that small abandoned village outside?"

He peered back at me, "I had to scare them away! There was no other way to secure the safety of this place."

"But that ways their home!" I glared at him, "you can't just hurt others for the sake of your cause, you know!"

I sorely regretting snpping at him this time though, as his expression became deadly serious. A chill ran down my back and for a moment I was afraid he was going to possess me again. But he didn't and he instead sniffed and looked away, his expression blank and controlled. "Keeping the stone safe is more important than anyting. I will do whatever it takes, even at the cost of my own life."

"...Even the lives of your family?" I hesitantly tried to argue.

His face remained emotionless. "I cannot be selfish. If the worlds depends on it, then yes. My duty take precedence."

"I see..." I said sadly and stood from the ground to turn away from him. "So you'd let your family be killed.. all for some rock." I glared at the ground in frustration. I shouldn't be surprised. He was going to kill me over a misunderstanding.. of course he wouldn't care.

"That is not just a simple stone," Azelf said, his voice dangerously cold. He approached me and glared at me, his eyes glowing. I gulped. "The world's light, weather, wind, and climate depends on it. It harnesses the suns power. If something were to happen to it... Everything would become cold, dark, dead."

I rasied my hands defensively, "o-okay, I get it-"

"I would do anything to protect my family!" He snapped suddenly, his eyes flashing with anger. "I would be loathe to ever let them get hurt... but there are things I do not have a choice over. I cannot protect them both- I-... I do not know how I could..." To my surprise, his anger faded to be replaced with a forlorn embarrassment. He clearly ruminated on this a lot, since Mesprit got hurt. Perhaps I judged him too quickly. I could understand him wanting to jump at a chance to protect and avenge his fallen sibling. But in his haste, he only caused more harm...

I reached out to him and wanted to speak up, but a small sound from behind me interrupted my words. I blinked and turned around. Kubo was rising from the ground with a small groan of pain, and lifted his head up to look at me. "Moss..?" I felt relief flood my heart. He frowned and looked around. At seeing Hunter at his side, he gasped and shook the zorua as urgently as his weakened body could manage. I quickly ran up to them, excited to help them.

Hunter keened and shook his head, blinking his eyes opened tiredly and blinking up at me and Kubo as we crowded around him. Even thought his face was in pain, at least he was alive...

"Where's Snowflake..?" Kubo weakly asked, eyeing my worriedly. I smiled reassurringly and gestured back over to her. He and Hunter stumbled to their feet, and I smiled softly as I watched them make their ways over to her. I joined them. We shook her and she took slowly began to awaken.

She curled up into a ball, "urrgh.. my head..." She paused for a moment, and then suddenly jumped awake, her eyes wild and fearful. "M-Moss!" She caught my gaze and tears immediately sprung into her eyes. "Oh, Moss! I'm so sorry..!"

She jumped on me and wrapped her paws around my shoulders, almost knocking me over. I gasped and flushed a little as she nuzzled my cheek. Slowly, I hugged her back. "I didn't mean to hurt you... I was- OH!" she gasped again and jumped off me, inspecting me for injuries, "are you hurt?"

A bit dizzy from her energetic behaviour, I shook my head and blinked at her blankly. "I'm fine..."

As I was distracted with Snowflake, Kubo inspected the area. His arms were gripping the bag slung over his shoulder tightly. He took the moment to check on Cosmoem, and I spied her still sleeping peacefully inside. Thank goodness... "Where are we..?" Kubo asked with trepidation. It was then he noticed Azelf watching us from the shore. Azelf watched us blankly, with not even a slight hint of emotion on his face. Kubo froze. "Hey... are you that jerk who tried to kill us!?" He snarled.

I laughed awkwardly, and stepped in between my friends and Azelf. "Guys- meet Azelf," I gestured to him graciously, "the being of Willpower, and also.. Mesprits brother."

Hunter stomped his foot and barked at me. "I don't care who he is! He took over our bodies and tried to get us to kill each other!" He was snarling, but his voice was more fearful than outraged. Kubo nodded with a gentle frown.

"Yeah, I can't believe someone as sweet as Mesprit has such a cruel and impulsive brother... I can only imagine how the other one acts..."

I grimaced uncomfortably. Truthfully I kind of agreed with them.. but at the same time I felt the need to defend Azelf. He wasn't so bad, deep down. "Listen guys, you have to calm down- he has a job here as a guardian and already apologized, so-"

"Oh did he? I certainly didn't hear it!" Hunter snapped tearfully. He and Kubo were both still deeply upset.

"Hey... that's enough," Snowflake leaned against him supportively and then turned to me with a small smile. "What matters is that we're alive. But, I'm curious.. Moss, you said he's a guardian? Sakura said that Mesprit was known as a guardian too.. what is he protecting?" She tilted her head at Azelf curiously.

"Wait... you mean her lake is empty?" Azelf said softly, in shock. He slowly approached us, although his face remained impassive.

I hummed thoughtfully, "well... Mesprit is healing at the guild. But I know her spirit goes out to check the lake every night." I explained the concept to my friends, who were all shocked at this knowledge. Kubo's eyes shined excitedly hearing about her wonderous powers, so much so that he hopped up into the air happily. He regretted it, however, when he landed and felt a sharp pain sting at his legs.

"Ow..." he grumbled and sat on the ground to rub his legs.

"I, too, have that ability," Azelf said proudly, putting his hands on his hips. "So she has been keeping an eye on it.. I'm glad it's safe. Although I don't quite understand why they would hurt her, and not take it..." I opened my mouth to answer him, but I was spoken over.

"It?" Hunter frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Azelf turned to me uneasily... It was almost as if he was asking if they could be trusted with this. I nodded, but he continued to hesitate, and peered back over at the lake, and the soft orange glow that shone from the water. Then an idea came to me. I focused deeply, shutting my eyes and biting my lip.

'You can trust them,' I thought, trying to contact him telepathically. He jumped in surprised and turned to blink at me. I stared at him seriously, and he stared back. Then he started to tell them what he told me. He pointed to the lake and showed them the aura from the stone, and how he had to protect it for the sake of the world.

"So... are you implying that Mesprit has one too?" Kubo asked as he crossed his arms. Azelf nodded.

"Yes, and Uxie as well. Mesprit has the Lunar Stone, and Uxie the Earth Stone." He paused, and stared out at the lake thoughtfully. He touched his chin and his gaze fell to the ground. Me and Kubo exchanged an uneasy look. "I... I'm sorry about what I did. There's more I want to ask, and more I'm sure you want to know as well. But you're hurt. You were already hurt when you got here- you need to get to a medic as soon as you can."

he began to float away from us, and we all peered at each other curiously. "Come," he turned and gestured for us to follow him, "I'll show you the way out of here... it'll be safe travels from here on out." He then turned and continued going, not looking abck to make sure we were following.

Hunter whimpered softly, but he stood up tall and nodded at us. "I'll be our eyes again, okay?"

I smiled softly... he had really come to like us, hadn't he..? I nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. "Lead the way," I said softly.

Soon, we would be home... and we will have won the battle. We weren't going to lose ever again!


	13. Chapter 13

The journey home was mercifully uneventful.

Azelf guided us to a path through the woods on the other side of the mountain. It lead down into a calm, serene valley. The valley seemed to be in the pit of a mountain range, and if it weren't for Azelfs directions, we would surely get lost.

But as we made our way along the path, we came by a small travelling merchant. She was a plucky little Nidorina with her Mudsdale friend, and the two of them happily welcomed us to ride in the back of the carriage- as they were going in the same direction as us. The ability to rest was well appreciated, and we slept there all through the night, taking shifts to make sure we didn't ride too long and get lost.

I remembered feeling watched during my shift. I had sat up and talked softly with Mudsdale as she pulled the carriage. "You're not tired at all?" I asked gently, wrapped up in one of the blanket that Nidorina had gracefully given us.

Mudsdale shook her head, "I have great stamina. As long as I don't go too fast, I can go for a few days."

"Are you sure? That doesn't sound healthy," I pointed out. She laughed softly and told me that she didn't work the same way I did. All pokemon could handle different things, and had different limits... someone that was unhealthy for me was natural for one of her kind. I thought about that for a while, as I sat back in silence and stared up at the stars. They twinkled gently...

My friends were all different kinds of pokemon... Together we could accomplish so much more than on our own. So how could I be some soft of hero..?

But as I sat there, I felt something cool brush by me. I was chilled, even under the comfort of my blanket. I blinked and looked around. For some reason I felt like we weren't the only ones awake. It felt like there was some other presence here... watching me.

I was on the alert the rest of the night, but no pokemon came out to jump us during my shift. Even when Kubo got up to take my spot, and I curled up next to Snowflake to get some rest of my own, I couldn't sleep.

I could feel some unseen eyes on me.

By daybreak, we had to go our separate ways from Nidorina and Mudsdale, but the walk to the mountain wouldn't be long now. Azelf's directions had been spot on. In the near distance, I could see the huge snowy mountain towering over all the rest. It was awe-inspiring to see it from so far away... it was easy to forget how imposing it was.

As we drew closer, Hunter grew anxious. "What will they say, seeing me back there..?" He pulled be behind and whispered to me. Kubo and Snowflake continued on ahead of us. I blinked and shook my head, shaking my exhaustion from my mind. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have anything to worry about... they trust me, and you helped us save Cosmoem! There's no way they'll turn you away."

"Now, you say that..." his ears folded back nervously, "but I hurt one of your friends... I stole from them- there's no way they'd-"

"Hey, it'll be fine, okay?" I smiled, "trust me... I won't let them send you away."

It went unspoken, that he had been recruited into our group. He didn't even need to ask, and neither did we. I smiled softly to myself as I realized that. Not two days ago he was saying he hated us... but now he was a good friend.

I knew things would work out...

I felt my mind slip. My eyes drifted closed for a moment before they shot back open. I was exhausted from all the excitement we had been through since that Ultra Beast kidnapped us... and I barely got any sleep last night from feeling watched.

My eyes drifted shut again. Perhaps just resting them a moment would be good...

The last thing I remembered before I passed out, was the sun finally rising above the peak of the mountain, and the village glowing in the distance.

-

I woke up to find myself in a very familiar place. I was comfortably curled up in my bed, warm and safe at last. I blinked my eyes open and peered around. It was late at night, almost morning- I must've slept through the entire day. I was in our guild room, lying in bed next to Snowflake, and Kubo was sleeping nearby us too. All of us were bound in bandages and gauze, our bruises and bumps treated carefully. I sighed and leaned back in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I shut my eyes tiredly.

it almost felt like we'd never get back here...

To my surprise, I then became aware of some whisperings. But Kubo and Snowflake were asleep..? I opened my eyes again realizing where it came from, and looked towards Mesprit's bed. Indeed she was there, and she was not alone. She was sitting up in bed, speaking softly together with... Azelf? Who was sitting in the edge of her hay bed politely. He had a hand around her back, helping her sit up, and she held his other hand in both of hers. They spoke with easy, relaxed smiles on their faces.

I stared. What was he doing here? Didn't he have to stay and protect his stone? ..Did Snowflake and Kubo know he was here?

It seemed they sensed my eyes on them, as Mesprit turned her glowing amber eyes on me. "Oh, Moss... You're finally awake, I'm so relieved," Mesprit smiled at me, "you did good work out there." Azelf tilted his head at me, an uncomfortable, awkward look twisting his features. Almost as if my mere presence sort of embarrassed him. I supposed it would be... considering he tried to kill me. But his uneasy look faded suddenly as Mesprit looked back over to him, controlled into a soft, neutral smile.

His eyes were empty and serious again... How could he do such an emotionless face?

I opened my mouth to speak, but it seemed my facial expression was question enough for Mesprit. "Are you asking why Azelf is here?" She asked knowingly. I nodded. "He decided to check on me properly.. and since you were coming straight to me, well.. he followed you." Mesprit smiled happily at her brother, "you were right Moss... I did see him again." Mesprit leaned into Azelf and hugged him as best she could with her injuries. Azelf put his head on her shoulder and hugge her back. Both of them looked so at ease, and happy.

After so many years apart.. I could only imagine how nice it was. I smiled for them. I was glad they could see each other again...

For a moment I thought about my own family. I couldn't remember if I had one.

Suddenly I heard a soft knock at the door. Hearing this, Azelf shot up into the air in alarm. "Ah-!" Mesprit gasped and reach up to him, distraught. He hesitated, and flew back down to give her one more brisk hug. He then flew out the open window to our room. but before he disappeared into the night, he turned and shot me a small little smile. He waved at the both of us, and then flew off. Mesprit watched after him with a smile, but there was a sad little look in her eyes. She knew she wouldn't see him for a long time, still.

But.. who knows? The future hadn't happened yet... If I was as much of a hero as Cosmoem said I was, then I would make sure their family would never go separated for long again.

"Morning!" Sakura cried, finally unlocking the door and leaping inside excitedly. She clearly had the intention of waking us up. Snowflake and Kubo groaned and shifted to cover their ears. Sakura paused in surprise, seeing me and Mesprit awake. But then she smiled, and bounded over to my bed. "Hey Moss! It's great to see you're awake already..! Especially since, well..." She laughed awkwardly and looked back over at the door. I blinked, seeing Heliolisk and guildmaster Serperior waiting patiently just outside.

Sakura leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I couldn't stop them... sorry.." She grinned apologetically. I smiled back tiredly.

Our two superiors entered the room, their heads held high. But there was a concern in Heliolisks eyes, and a soft gentleness to Serperior that I knew meant she was relieved we were okay. As Serperior entered the room, however, my bag- which was sitting on our little table- started to shake. The clasp snapped open and out flew my little friend, hovering innocently above the bag. It seemed almost as if she was listening, even though she was asleep. Perhaps she was still aware of what was going on...

It was so weird, the powers that Ultra Beasts could have...

"I'm sure you all must be exhausted with your adventure," Heliolisk said gently, but loudly. Snowflake and Kubo blinked open their eyes and peered at him in tired confusion. "But there are important matters the guildmaster wishes to discuss." My friends sat up in their beds and looked up at the two of them. For a moment they frowned at me, a silent question in their eyes. Even Mesprit was silent too, however as she stared at Serperior, I could it see in her eyes that she was... examining her?

"So, your mission has been completed successfully." Serperior said seriously. She peered at Cosmoem with wild interest, who in turn let out a soft, strange little coo. I felt a well of pride build up in me. Yes, we were all alive, and we all worked together to save my friend.

But wait... someone was missing. A sudden pit dropped in my stomach. Where was Hunter? I looked around the room frantically... but he was nowhere to be seen.

Heliolisk noticed my frantic searching, and he stepped over to me and peered down at me. "What's wrong Moss? Are you looking for something?" I paused and blinked up at him. He furrowed his brow at me curiously.

"Yes, I'm looking for Hunter. You know- the zorua thief who took food from us a little while ago. Where is he?" At my urgent questioning, I could see distaste and bewilderment on Heliolisks face. He shook his head, perplexed. I clawed at my face in frustration. "He was kidnapped along with us and joined us when we went into the Ultra Space." I huffed stubbornly. "He was really brave.. and helpful. He's our friend now, and a valued member of the team."

I looked around at my friends in search of an answer. Sakura frowned softly, trying to understand how that thief could possibly be good, or useful... Mesprit's eyes still did not leave the guildmaster. Mesprit continued to stare at her, eventually making Serperior divert her gaze.

I blinked. Had Mesprit managed to actually make Serperior uncomfortable?

I shook my head. I needed to know what happened to Hunter first. When I looked to Kubo and Snowflake, they smiled at me awkwardly. "After we arrived, they wanted to rush all of us to the medic," Snowflake said softly, "but they didn't believe us that he was safe to bring here, so... he's at that mountain hospital, with Blissey. You remember?"

"Oohh..." I breathed. That felt so long ago now... "her and Happiny.."

"Yes, so he is there." Heliolisk said awkwardly. "Or not. Maybe he left already... I don't know." He shrugged. I could tell the subject of Hunter kind of unnerved him.. I wondered if it'd be hard to argue his case after all... Still, I nodded. As long as he was okay, I would consider it alright for now..

Guildmaster Serperior returned her attention to me. It seemed almost like she was pointedly ignoring Mesprit, and I couldn't help but wonder what wordless exchange they must've shared. "I can see in your eyes that you have much on your mind," Serperior said, "tell me the information you have gathered." I blinked, my mouth falling open and shutting again.

Where would I even start?

Snowflake and Kubo pitched in to help me tell her, Heliolisk, Sakura and Mesprit all that happened. Kubo told them about us getting kidnapped, Snowflake explained all that Tapu Koko had told us, and I tried my best to deescribe what the Ultra Space had been like. Through our story, they were all very shocked and uneasy, except for Serperior, who was completely unfazed by everything.

When our story was done, we all sat in silence for a moment. "Very well done, the lot of you." Serperior said with a small incline of her head. "I expected nothing less from you all. Also," she turned to Cosmoem as she hovered inncoently above us, "Cosmoem, was it? Make yourself at home." In response, my little strange friend bobbed up and down in the air, as if happy, but didn't appear to respond otherwise. She was kind of strange, wasn't she?

"Thanks to Tapu Koko, we now know much more about the situation... and what it will take to save the planet." Serperior hummed emotionlessly. "I shall go back to my room to think more on this. I shall entrust missions on this topic to your team, Moss."

Heliolisk turned to her in shock. "But..! Guildmaster- you can't do that... they're just kids..!"

"Who're you calling kids?" Kubo scoffed and crossed his arms.

Sakura nodded, "Y-yeah!"

The Guildmaster peered down at Heliolisk coldly. Her expression was almost unreadable for the rest of us, but Heliolisk seemed to understand what it meant. After a moment, he sighed bowed his head. Conceeding to her, he lifted up his notepad and started writing something. I wondered what she had ordered of him.. He finished and nodded to her. Her expression loosened up and she nodded in return, then moved to leave.

But before they could go, Kubo spoke up. "Uhm..! Guildmaster, can I ask something?" He smiled weakly and lifted his hand up to wave her back. She tilted her head, wordlessly giving him permission to ask his question. He brightened up, even though everyone's eyes were on him now. Everybody looked at him except for Mesprit, who still didn't take her gaze off of Serperior.

"We know Hunter didn't have the best introduction... and you don't have to forgive him for it, but... he made up for his mistakes. His illusion ability really saved us in the Ultra Space, and he's growing to be an important friend to us- all of is!" He gestured to me and Snowflake, and we nodded encouragingly. Kubo smiled. "So can't he join us? He could help us in this war against Necrozma..."

Both Snowflake and I joined him in looking to the Guildmaster hopefully. She didn't say anything, just stared back at us with another unreadable expression. I squinted at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. To my surprise, she seemed to be avoiding Mesprits equally intense gaze. Why was she avoiding her so much? Clearly Mesprit had something on her mind, something she wanted to say...

"Very well." Serperior said suddenly, making us jump in surprise. "We need more pokemon to help us take on this threat, and Zorua are known to be the masters of illusions.. he would be a great help to us." We all smiled in relief, when she spoke up again. "However... After what he did to my guild, I cannot accept him into our ranks. He cannot live here. Understood?"

Our shoulders slumped and I wilted sadly. We nodded in disappointment. At least he would be allowed to help, but... where would he live? Hunter didn't have a home as far as we could tell...

"That pokemon is homeless. I know his type. He probably struggles alone, too." Mesprit said suddenly, making Serperior freeze. Everyone's eyes went wide, seeing her tense. "It would be really rude if you don't help him. Don't you think so, Snivy?"

I blinked. Snivy?

We all looked between the two curiously, watching as the psychic-type giggled and Serperior remained frozen. The guildmaster stared at her for a moment, and I almost thought I saw a flash of anger in her eyes. But just as quickly, her usual emotionless mask returned to her face. "Alright," She said stiffly, "He can stay with us- but only if you... never... call me that again. Got it?"

"Deal~!" Mesprit nodded, a smug grin forming on her face.

Serperior scoffed. "Heliolisk, search for Hunter and bring him to the guild... He shall be our guest." She sent another scornful look at Mesprit before turning and making her leave. Heliolisk blinked after her. "Oh! Uh- yes Guildmaster, of course! I'll get to it at once!" With one last relieved smile at us- he turned and rushed after her.

In the silence of their absence, Cosmoem slowly floated down and landed back on her bag. All of us slowly turned to look at Mesprit.

"What was that?" Sakura frowned incredulously.

"Yeah- how did you do that, Mesprit?" Kubo asked, his mouth agape in awe. Mesprit just shrugged shyly and giggled. "Let's just say... I know your Guildmaster quite well. She looks hard on the outside, but she had a nice heart and would never let someone in need suffer..." Mesprit hummed and tapped at her chin thoughtfully. "Her only problem is just.. her complicated relationship with emotion. She seems afraid to show them..."

"If you know her, does that mean shes visited your home?" Snowflake asked, tilting her head, "like she did with Tapu Koko?"

Mesprit nodded in return. "I would say I'm a bit surprised she hasn't come to check on me until now... but she must be embarrassed," she grinned, "she used to visit me and Azelf every now and again, to give us things.. she was a Snivy back then."

"That's so weird..." Kubo said softly, "the Guildmaster, being a tiny kid? Her being embarrassed? That doesn't sound like her at all!"

Sakura grinned in amusement, "everybody was a kid once, Kubo! But I'm sure she'd rather pretend she was always this cool, huh?" She nudged Mesprit playfully and the psychic-type giggled.

Then Sakura glared pointedly at us. "I hope you guys will take me on the next mission! Not that I don't think its important to take care of Mesprit but I joined for a reason you know! I want to help save the world too!"

"This wasn't a real mission, Sakura. We were kidnapped, you know," Snowflake said with a stern frown.

"I know!" Sakura pouted, "but still! I wish I could've been there to help!"

Before they could turn this into a fight, Kubo stood and stretched his hands over his head. "So, Mesprit, how are you feeling? Better?" He stepped up to her bed and sat down next to her, across from Sakura. I was surprised at how he seemed to be keeping his cool for once.

"Somewhat... My body doesn't complain nearly as loudly whenever I try to move." She said, frowning softly. "But I am not yet fully restored..."

"It's okay," I smiled, "You'll be fine... and until then you can still help out a lot! Like you already have!"

Mesprit grinned, "Thank you, Moss... I will do all I can to help protect our world."

"And you know we appreciate it," Sakura smiled at her. Kubo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Yeah! You're a big help!"

"Thank you..."

-

It was a little bit later, when Heliolisk came knocking at our door.

The door slowly opened, and standing behind Heliolisks tail, with his head bowed low and embarrassed, was Hunter. He was just as laced in bandages as the rest of us. Heliolisk left with a smile and nod, and Hunter cautiously came in, his eyes on the ground. As he entered the room, Kubo jumped to his feet so he could come over and pat the zorua on his back.

"Hey dude, what's up?" He smiled welcomingly.

"I..." He tried to reply, but then suddenly burst into tears.

Hey, hey..! It's okay.." Kubo pet him gently. I stood from my bed so I could run to him and give the zorua a hug. He bumped his head against my chest and snobbed. "What's... wrong with him?" Kubo asked in concern. "Is he hurt?"

"He's really grateful.. and happy too," Mesprit smiled from her place on her bed. "He's finally been accepted... such large feelings are hard to digest at first, but he'll be fine." She giggled and beamed at the us. I could tell that she liked him already.

Sakura, on the other hand, seemed a bit more hesitant. As Hunter calmed down, me and Kubo let him go. She stepped up to him and sniffed at him. "So you're Hunter, huh? Seems I'm always out of the picture when you're involved..."

Hunter wiped his face with a paw and smiled apologetically, "y-yeah I guess so- I-I'm sorry I knocked you out that one time.. and impersonated you.."

"Well if Moss, Kubo and Snowflake all trust you, I guess I'll have to forgive you," she tilted her head playfully. Hunter didn't notice the tease and bowed his head sadly. She nudged him and grinned slightly. "Hey, I'm sure you're fine! And it'll be great to finally have a roomie!"

Hunter frowned at her in confusion. "A roomie..?"

"Come on! I'll show you our room. You'll be with me, cause there's not enough room in here!" She smiled cheerily at him (I wondered if it was perhaps a bit too cheerily?) and I watched as Hunter followed her to the door.

He turned back and smiled at us. 'Thanks, guys..." his eyes shimmered happily, and we nodded encouragingly. He nodded back, and left with Sakura. As the door clicked shut, Kubo shook his head.

"Are you sure the other members of the guild will accept him too?" Kubo asked, crossing his arms and turning to frown at us worriedly.

"Maybe..." I said hopefully, "If Heliolisk didn't tell them who the thief was, then he'd just be another recruit!" I smiled, but I wasn't quite sure, even of my own words.

We continued to talk a little more.. but even as noon came closer, none of us was feeling well enough to get up and work at anything.

"What should we do?" Snowflake asked, "can we really afford to just sit here?"

"You already accomplished a lot," Mesprit said with a soft smile, "you saved Cosmoem and Tapu koko, and closed one of the portals... you deserve a break." Her gentle encouragement made Kubo blush, and she only grinned wider upon seeing that. I wondered if she was always like that with everyone.

"Well, not a very long one," Kubo huffed, flustered, "We have work to do, still!"

"How about we get some sleep for now?" I asked with a soft laugh, "I'm still so exhausted... It wouldn't be bad for me to sleep in the middle of the day?" My friends shook their heads and even agreed with me. it seemed we were all still quite exhausted from our adventure... As Kubo, Snowflake and I all settled down to sleep, Cosmoem slowly lifted up into the air, and flew over to me. She plopped down into my lap.

I tilted my head and wrapped my arms around her. "Are you gonna help us come up with a plan tomorrow, Cosmoem?" I said, grinning. She didn't respond beyond a small little coo. It sounded more like a snore.

"Good night, Moss..." Snowflake said, curling up beside me. I leaned back against her and shut my eyes tiredly. "you mean good afternoon.." I said back snarkily. I felt her chuckle softly. I grinned to myself- victory!

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about the Guildmasters true identity and past... I couldn't help but wonder about her. She was so mysterious... but I was sure that everything would figure itself out with time. All the Ultra Beasts, Necrozma and Azelf... everything was so strange, but it would be alright.. we would win. We had to...

It didn't take long before I fell asleep with my arms around my small, precious little friend.


	14. Chapter 14

I drifted awake, the distant sound of voices pulling me back into consciousness. I blinked my eyes open. The voices sounded... angry? I lifted up my head and looked around. The voices were through the wall- it sounded like somebody was having an argument. The voices were harsh, and they almost sounded like... Sakura- and Hunter too! The voices were harsh through the wall from their room.

I frowned worriedly and sat up in my bed. What was going on?

As I stood to investigate, I realized that Mesprit wasn't in her bed- or the room at all, for that matter. Kubo and Snowflake were still sleeping peacefully, but Mesprit was missing... I hummed a bit nervously but decided to sneak out of the room so as not to wake my friends.

In the hallway I could hear their voices a little better, almost able to make out a few words. "You're nothi-.. but-..!" I frowned, wondering what this could possibly be about...

As I opened the door to the duo's room, I was shocked to find that this was where Mesprit had run off to. Peeking into the room, I saw Mesprit and Sakura hounding Hunter. To his irritation, the two were poking and prodding at him, giggling despite their loud tones of voice. To my surprise, it was not really an argument after all- and they were simply teasing the poor dark-type.

"I'm not a pup! I've lived on my own for most of my life, do you think I can't handle your harrassment?" he snapped, his fur bristling.

Sakura laughed, "we're not harrassing you! We're just messing with you! Can't handle a little teasing?"

"I beg to differ!" Hunter growled with a flush on his face and turned on Mesprit as she too started giggling, "what!?"

"You're embarrassed~!" She laughed, hiding her grin behind her hands.

"I am NOT!" He squeaked, even more red now. Then he suddenly noticed me watching from the small crack in the door. In my shock at being noticed, I gasped and shut the door, hiding myself behind it. I hoped he wouldn't get me involved.... but then the door swung open, revealing Hunter's urgent gaze. "Moss! Please do something!" He yelled and quickly moved to hide behind me.

I blinked owlishly over at the two girls, who stopped laughing- but continued to grin widely back at me. I slowly entered the room and put my hands on my hips. "Okay, what's going on here?" I asked curiously as Hunter shut the door behind me. "Not to mention that you should still be in bed, Mesprit... I thought you couldn't move much on your own?"

Mesprit rolled her eyes in a way that was almost- bratty?- and Sakura giggled. "You sound like our dad or something, Moss!" The skitty said.

"No I- don't..." I huffed, realizing a little too late that she was just trying to tease me too. I crossed my arms with a pout. Sakura chuckled softly again.

"I went into your room earlier today to pick something up that I forgot in there yesterday..." Sakura smiled softly as she explained, "Mesprit was already awake, and she said she was feeling better today, so she wanted to finally move around a bit!"

"Yes, but I.. admit I still struggle to levitate much.." Mesprit grumbled from her seat on Sakuras bed.

"Yup- and as you can see," Sakura said and gestured to her, "her tiny feet aren't useful for walking anyway, even if she was well enough to! So I helped her around." The skitty was rather serious as she spoke, her amusement fading in the face of her gentle concern for her friend. She smiled over at Mesprit and she looked away, blushing in embarrassment. Her embarrassment made Sakura pout softly.

I could tell that she didn't want help from us, it made her feel weak and helpless. She didn't want our pity. I could see now, that she had that same pride Azelf does. The pride of being a powerful, one-of-a-kind pokemon only spoken of in legend... but unlike Azelf, her pride had been broken after being defeated by the Ultra Beasts. To need help from regular pokemon like us was somewhat embarrassing to her, I could imagine... since it made her more equal to us. But, as she was healing, I could see her slowly gaining back her confidence, as well as her true personality. It came out in small bursts, and I wondered what her true self would be like...

I also found myself wondering... how did her other brother act- that Uxie?

"Yeah, so she decided to bring her in here so they both could harrass me!" Hunters words broke me from my thoughts and reminded me of the situation at hand. I turned and found the zorua snarling at Sakura, who returned the glare offendedly.

"I already said, we're not harrassing you!"

"Yes you are-!"

I cleared my throat, "okay! Okay!" I waved my arms disarmingly and the three of them looked over to me. "Listen, this is really... not our problem right now. Sakura, Mesprit, if Hunter doesn't like it then you need to respect that," the two girls grew grumpy hearing that, and turned up their noses at me, "and Hunter- they didn't mean any harm, so let's forget about it, okay?"

Hunter sighed heavily, and while he was unhappy, he nodded. Sakura grumbled something about me 'really being like a dad' before nodding as well. Mesprits grumpy expression faded hearing her little remark, and raised a hand to her mouth to hide her giggle. "Okay, Moss." She said innocently. I nodded.

"So..." I decided to use that moment to explain to them everything that had happened on our journey that they were not yet aware of. Hunter helped out as best he could, though his input was mostly about how scary things were and how he's 'never doing that again.' Mesprit and Sakura were quite serious as they listened in, but I couldn't help but notice their amused smirks whenever Hunter interjected. I suspected that they weren't quite fond of him yet...

They'd still have a bit of bonding to do... I needed to remind myself that we weren't exactly on friendly terms before our whole journey with him- and Sakura had never really gotten to know him.. she had been knocked out by him, and then left behind on our trip...

"So now that we've saved my friend Cosmoem, and closed one of the four portals, we still need to look for the three other portals as well."

"But we don't know where they are," Hunter added with a worried look in his eye, "we only found Tapu Koko because the beast took us there! And- I don't know about you but I really don't feel like getting knocked out and kidnapped again.."

"No, of course not," Mesprit shook her head, "but there must be some way to research it... Maybe the other guild pokemon know something. I mean- they're always travelling all over the place and discovering things, right? At the least they must've heard something about the Tapu."

Sakura jumped up suddenly, her tail pointing up excitedly and waving a little. "Then let's go! No time to waste, everyone will be heading out soon if we take too long!" She turned to Mesprit and smiled at her "Plus! This is a good opportunity to practice levitating."

Mesprit blinked at her in surprise, but then smiled softly and nodded. She played with her hands a little awkwardly, and I could tell she was a bit unsure of her abilities. I nodded too. "It would be a good idea.. you're looking much better now, after all," I said. Mesprit sighed and Sakura began helping her up off the bed.

"What about Kubo and Snowflake?" Hunter turned to me and asked as we began making our way towards the door. "Are they up?"

I shook my head, "no, and I think we shouldn't wake them. I think the three of us will be enough.. they deserve a good rest."

"What, and I don't?" He huffed and, to my surprise, when I looked down at him he was grinning a little wryly. I smiled, and wondered if I had really ever heard him make a joke before... I reached over and ruffled the fur on his head. He grumbled in annoyance, but I knew he didn't mind.

As we left the room, I turned bac to watch as Sakura lifted Mesprit up a little and asked her to try jumping in the air little by little. Mesprit did her best, but I could tell by her tense expression that it really wasn't easy. She clearly still had some pain for sure. But eventually she was able to keep herself in the air long enough to start moving a little on her own (although she kept a tight grip on Sakuras back). At least she was able to move finally. And Sakura would act as a stable support for her to land on, if she were to grow too tired from practicing.

We moved into the corridors, and made our way down the stairs. It was slow moving, but we were making progress. As we made out way into the main hall, we could see many pokemon moving about, getting set up to do their business. To our right was the hallway that lead to the dining area, and before us there was a small pond on water. Water pokemon of the guild lounged in and around the pond, chatting and discussing their plans for the day.

As we moved into the main hall, I noticed that nobody was particularly interested in us. Specifically- that nobody seemed to recognize that there was a legendary pokemon among us. Surely they knew Mesprit was here in the guild... but none of them knew what she looked like.

Sakura noticed this too, and she frowned sadly. She turned to Mesprit with her eyes downturned in disappointment. "I.. had hoped other pokemon would know who you are, Mesprit.. not just my people at Misty Valley..."

Mesprit seemed almost as if she wanted to show off, hearing that. She suddenly pulled herself up stronger into the air, flying for a few moments before she collapsed, tumbling down onto Sakura. I jumped in to help catch her, "waah!" and only ended up falling to the ground along with them.

I groaned a bit painfully for a moment as we helped pick Mesprit back up. She shook her head and frowned in displeasure. "It's.. fine," she grumbled, "the more pokemon who don't know about me or my home, the more safe my stone and I are..."

We stood her back up, and now it seemed even standing was a struggle. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her balanced. Really, I knew she couldn't walk on such tiny feet, but not being able to stand either..?

As we slowly continued walking, I noticed Haxorus was still going around on his patrols- he would be a good pokemon to ask. I rushed over to him, letting Hunter and Sakura help bring Mesprit over at a much slower pace. "Haxorus, sir!" I called, rushing up to him. He peered down at me, almost looking confused for a moment as he remembered who I was. Then he smiled politely.

"Hello, Moss... I hear you've been quite busy as of late," he said. I nodded. He looked over at Mesprit and raised an eyebrow seeing her out and about. "And- she's recovered enough to move!" He exclaimed in surprise. I did a happy little hop.

"Yup! We're looking for some information... do you know where the shrines of the tapu guardians are?" I asked curiously. Haxorus hummed, and scratched at his chin. He raised his head up and looked around the room, almost as if looking for ssomething.

"I know of them, the tapu... but their legends are from very far off- I don't think I could tell you where to look." He shook his head apologetically.

"Oh," I deflated sadly, as Sakura and the others finally came up behind me.

"Do you know anybody you think might have some idea?" She asked, tilting her head up at the dragon-type. Haxorus hummed again and shrugged.

"I am not quite sure... perhaps you could ask Ivysaur- him and his team went off far to the south not long ago, and may have heard something."

"Ivysaur... okay- great, thanks Haxorus!" I said excitedly as I smiled up at him. He smiled back and bid us good luck, pointing us in the direction of Ivysaur's guildroom. He was much more friendly today, I thought pleasantly.

However, when we met up with Ivysaur, he ended up having no idea where the shrines could be either. His teammates didn't seem to know either. This began our search in earnest, where we went from door to door asking various guildmembers whether they knew anything.

We asked the Roselia I had often seen mulling around the guild, and a Jigglypuff, but they didn't know either. Even though they had been at the guild for 3 or 4 years now, they had never discovered such places. They thought that perhaps they had heard a few rumours, and sent us up to the second floor of the guild to speak with some pokemon who might have heard more. We thanked them and continued our seach.

As we climed the stairs and arrived at the second floor again, Hunter suddenly gasped in amazement. "Wow- what's that! That's so cool!" He cried and ran up to the wall, where some large clear pipes were running, a little pushed out of the walls. They were so large that if I could breathe underwater, I could fit within them rather comfortably. Within the pipes were water pokemon, swimming left and right rather energetically. I had seen these pipes running through the guild before but never really thought much of it. Hunter, on the other hand, seemed deeply fascinated by it.

We followed after him to get a closer look.

"How have you broken into this place so many times and never seen this?" Sakura asked him a little rudely. Hunter flushed in embarrassment.

"I'd never come up here before!" He snapped, "It's not safe to travel too far inside, in case I ever get caught." He explained with an embarrassed frown.

"I see!" Sakura eyed him suspiciously, "you're pretty sneaky! A great addition to the team for sure!" She said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"It's not like I wanted to-!"

"Hey! Hey..." I jumped in, trying to calm the conflict. "Nobody is blaming Hunter anymore for what he used to do... He's our friend now, Sakura, he's not a bad guy. Even the Guildmaster said its okay for him to be on our team."

"Yeah!" Hunter chimed in, sticking his nose up proudly, before returning his gaze to the water. Sakura huffed and looked away. She turned to Mesprit for support, who only shrugged apologetically. Seeing that, Sakura seemed to feel guilty for being rude to him. Even if she wasn't wrong to still be unsure with him, I wasn't going to let her make him feel unwanted. We were a team and she was going to have to get used to him.

Sakura cared about doing the right thing, so of course Hunter would make her feel a bit uneasy... but thats also why I knew she'd come around to him eventually.

To stay focused on the matters at hand, I joined Hunter in looking at the pipes. I touched one, to see what it was made of. It was glass, which was fastened tightly to the wall with iron. It wasn't sound-proof at all, though, and some water pokemon noticed us as we talked together.

"Hello!" A chinchou sang, swimming up to us and smiling politely, "is this your first time seeing a pipe like this?" She giggled as Hunter pushed his face against the glass to watch the other pokemon go back and forth.

"I've never really lived in such a high-tech place before!" Hunter exclaimed. "This is so cool!"

I found it very strange, personally, to see the fish-like pokemon chatting so casually with Hunter. It was odd to me, that some pokemon were stuck in the water, but were just as intelligent as the rest. Fish being able to talk... it was just kind of strange to me. Then again, it took a little getting used to Snowflake too... but now it seemed only natural she'd be able to talk.

"Hey, while you're here, can we ask you something?" Sakura piped up, smiling amicably at her. Chinchou bobbed up and down a little, as if nodding.

"Ask away! I would be happy to help in any way I can," She laughed.

Sakura moved closer and propped her front paws up against the glass, so she could be on the same level as the water-type. Mesprit struggled to hover up a bit higher as she did so. "We want to know where the shrines of the tapu pokemon are. They're guardains who protect special portals that connect this world with another. Would you happen to know where any of the tapu shrines are?"

Chinchou frowned thoughtfully, her fins fluttering a bit slower as she pondered Sakura's question. "I don't think i've heard anything about it... If the location isn't in or around water, then there's not much I can help you with." She smiled apologetically. "Sadly, I don't know much about the land..."

"Oh, that's fine! That makes sense," I said, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. Of course water-type pokemon would be limited to their underwater world...

"Thank you for your time, though," Mesprit said softly, with a gentle nod of her head.

Chinchou gave us one last shy smile before turning and swimming away. Hunter sighed watching her go. "I'm beginning to wonder if anybody is gonna know where the other tapu are..." He jumped away from the glass and started walking along the hallway. I moved to follow him when a voice stopped me.

"Wait!"

I turned back and saw a spheal had swam up to us, and knocked gently on the glass for our attention. We stopped and turned back to him. "I just caught your conversation with Chinchou- I don't know where exactly the portals are either, but to the north there is the Ice Cold Sea, where my mom was from... she always told me stories of a tapu whose shrine was under the cold waters of the ocean somewhere."

We gasped, turning to look at each other in our amazement. Then, I saw a grin begin to spread across Sakura's face. Mesprit then joined her, and soon we were all smiling widely. "Thank you Spheal!" Sakura sang, doing an excited lil hop that made Mesprit stumble a little. Mesprit frowned thoughtfully.

Spheal smiled back at Sakura happily. "It's no problem at all! Good luck in your search!" He said before waving at us and swimming away. We waved as he left, and then grinned at each other again.

We finally had some information on one of them... it wasn't much, but it gave us a lead. I wondered if there were any maps around that would show someplace so far north... Who knows what we would be able to find if we just had some direction.

My thoughts were interrupted by a strange gurgling sound. Hunter grimaced. "Agh... I'm hungry. We haven't eaten anything since we got up," he said, his head slumping down and his ears drooping.

"Maybe we should eat," I said, frowning a little. He seemed a bit uncomfortable...

'Breakfast can come later," Sakura said, shaking her head, "we still have to finish our search! We don't know who we'll miss if we don't ask now!"

"Right, right..." Hunter grumbled. Worriedly, I put a hand on his head. He blinked and peered up at me... seeing my encouraging smile, he lifted his head up and nodded. "I'm sure we'll find something..!"

"Yeah!" I cheered.

"Look! I think I can do it...!" Mesprit's joyful cry made all of us look up in surprise, as she slowly began lifting up higher into the air. She hovered up away from Sakura and into the air. She wobbled for a moment, until her hover became steady. She grinned down at us.

"Way to go, Mesprit!" Sakura beamed, grinning with all of her teeth.

"Hah... haha!" She laughed, and did an excited little flip in the air. This proved to be too much for her, as the moment she attempted a second one, she began to wobble again. "Ah... Waaah!" She tumbled down, and I gasped. I could hear Sakura gasp in line with me, and the two of us dashed forwards to catch her. She landed on us, and the three of us collapsed onto the ground. "Ouch!"

I blinked blearily up and around, only to find Hunter had managed to jump out of the way, and snickering down at me, unscathed. I pouted.

We slowly struggled to sit up, and I rubbed my head. It had been a while since I felt my head throb like this... Hunter came closer to help me up. I looked over to see Mesprit sitting next to Sakura, her arm wrapped around her shoulders. Mesprit shook her head and frowned in disappointment.

"I hate this! I just can't do it!" She snapped angrily, tears pearling in the corners of her eyes.

Sakura looked at her worriedly, "that's not true! You're getting better! Soon you'll be flying like normal, you'll see!"

"Y-yeah.." Hunter said softly, surprising all of us. Mesprit's eyes went wide as she looked up over at him. He smiled shyly, "it sucks to be hurt, or sick, but.." he looked at me a moment before looking back over at her, "you've got help! You're not alone, so... you don't have to pus yourself so hard."

Mesprit blinked at him... and then she grinned widely. "I should've known- of course you'd know how I feel! You were alone so long after all!" Hunter guffawed and flushed in embarrassment at how casually she said it. "We're both used to being loners, aren't we?" She continued to smile and tilted her head. Sakura has a soft expression on her face as she saw Hunter crack a small smile at that.

The skitty seemed unsure... but I could tell she was happy. She noticed me looking at her smugly and she huffed, pouting at me. Soon she'd learn I was right- that Hunter was a great new addition to the team!

We soon continued out search, climbing up more stairs up to the top floor of the guild. It was a roost for flying-type pokemon, with tall walls and skylights that could open up into the sky. There were many mail sorter cabinets lining the main hall- even this early in the morning, I could see pelipper's and pidgeys flying in and out with their mail. Hunter and I both looked around in quiet amazement.

"Hello there!" A taillow chirped, flying down to land on a railing in front of us. He had a friendly smile. "Are you all here for your mail?"

"Ah- no, actually we're just here looking for infomation," I responded a bit awkwardly, "we were wondering if anybody up here would know anything about the legendary tapu and their four shrines..?"

Taillow scratched his cheek with his win as he considered my question. "Well... I know a pokemon that seems to know almost anything. He's one of the oldest pokemon here- he's a true veteran explorer!" Taillow smiled excitedly. "He's been to so many places! But-! Oh, you must be wary!" He sang, still smiling despite the dire change in his tone, "he's not a friendly sort, and often turns away any questions or company."

"That's fine," I said seriously, "we still have to try it... This is important."

"Okie dokie!" He sang and fluttered his wings, preparing to take off. "Follow me then! I will show you to his room." As he took off, I looked between my friends. We all shrugged at each other confusedly. Whoever this was... I hoped he would be willing to listen.

We followed Taillow down a few hallways until we came to a big, sturdy door. It was clear to me that this individual was treated with much respect here- his door resembled the guildmaster's. I wouldn't be shocked if the room was even more impressive than her's.

"Here we are! He should be in there- he rarely comes out after all! good luck!" Taillow said with an enthusiastic smile, and then took off. I exchanged one last nervous look with my team, before Sakura stepped forward and knocked on the door with her tail. We waiting anxiously a moment, waitiing for him to come to the door, to yell for us to leave... something. Anything.

Nothing.

I stepped forward and tried knocking too. "Hello?" I asked through the door. But there was still no response.

"Are we sure he's even in there?" Hunter asked. When Sakura and I looked back to see their reactions, we noticed a sad, serious expression on Mesprits face.

"Huh? Mesprit? What's wrong?" Sakura furrowed her brows worriedly.

The psychic-type shook her head. Her gaze had drifted to the floor, as the strange four antenna on her head quivered slightly. "I'm sensing... a lot of pain." She murmured, and raised her gaze to us. "I don't think we should bother him..."

I blinked in surprise. She could sense such things? I supposed it should make sense... she was a psychic type. But then again, was this a power special to her, or could all psychics do it?

"But- then what are we supposed to do?" Hunter growled in frustration, "He could be the only one who knows the way!"

I nodded at him in agreement. "We got this far," I smield apologetically at Mesprit, "we have to try... Time is not on our side, and if we're nt careful, who knows what could happen..."

Mesprit sighed, and nodded. "I know... you're right. I just hope he'll hear us out..."

We turned back to the door. It was clear that he wasn't going to let us in. How could we get him to hear us out? I sighed, holding my face to try to keep myself from getting stressed. What if he knew something and he wouldn't tell us? What if he didn't know anything and we end up bothering him for nothing? Where could we go for information if he didn't know anything?

Ugh, my headache was coming back...

"Uh..." Hunter shifted nervously, "I have... an idea. Of how we could get in, I mean."

"Huh?" I turned to him. "What is it, Hunter?"

"Ah- well, I... I know how to... lockpick..." he mumbled softly, clearly ashamed. "I always had to do it if I wanted to get inside someplace.." Sakura scoffed.

"Of course you would. But we can't go breaking into his room! That would be bad!" She pouted.

"How else are we gonna get in?" He reasoned, although he was clearly getting more stressed and insecure. "We- we are already being bad to bother him when he's hurt, so..."

"That's no excuse to be more bad! We're supposed to be the heroes!"

"Guys, stop!" I snapped, clutching my fists angrily. "This isn't the time to argue! I... I think Hunter should try it." I said softly.

"R-really?" He gasped in surprise.

I nodded. "Yes. I think... that we've already decided we're going to go in there and have him hear us out. If he won't let us in, we have to find our own way in. The world matters a lot more than just one little locked door." I eyed Hunter seriously and gestured for him to do his thing. "Go ahead..."

Hunter seemed nervous, but seeing my resolve, he steeled himself and gave me a curt little nod in return. As he moved towards the door to start working, Sakura moved to stand next to me. She breathed in and let out a big sigh. "I-... I'm sorry for causing trouble.."

"Huh?" I frowned at her.

Her ears flopped down sadly. "It's just that... I can see how his skills could be useful... and he doesn't seem bad. But I just... it feels wrong, you know?" She turned to me with a soft, vulnerable expression. I smiled at her and put my hand on her head like I would do for him.

"I know... We didn't get along with him at first either. But... he's a good pokemon. You two just gotta make up." I grinned.

She nodded with a worried sigh. "I know... It's just that... it kind of feels like you guys have replaced me with him..."

My eyes widened. "What..? What could make you think that?"

Sakura shifted anxiously, her tail wrapping around herself. "I don't know... He knocked me out and turned into me when we first met him.. and then you all went on that adventure with him and not me..."

"Sakura." I felt myself deadpan a little. "We were kidnapped."

"I know!" She whined, "but I still feel like... you all like him better than me, now..."

"Sakura.. that's not true.." I said softly.

"Yes," Mesprit awoke from her concentrated silence to draw our attention to her, "if you ever had any doubts about how Moss, or Snowflake or Kubo were feeling, you'd need only ask me... they still care about you just as much as they always did."

"R-really..?" Sakura smiled and a few small tears beaded at he corners of her squinted eyes. "You-!"

But before she could continue, a small click! came from the door, and it drifted open a few centimeters with a deep creeeeek. Hunter jumped up, "ah-!" he gasped before turning to us and grinning proudly, "it's open!" He whispered excitedly. Sakura, Mesprit and I all grinned back at him.

"Good job!" I cheered. We came up to his side, and slowly made our way into the room. The door continued to creek as we entered, making our presence painfully know.

What we saw inside, was... A relatively large, cushy room, with an open balcony made of warm brown wood. To my surprise, there were feather cushions instead of a hay bed, and there were candles lighting the darkest corners of the room. But most importantly... standing with his back to us, staring out into the sky from his balcony, was a huge black bird pokemon.

His body seemed to be made of black armour rather than feathers, and he towered high above our heads... I wasn't sure what kind of pokemon he was for a long moment... before a name finally came to my mind. Corviknight. I could tell just by looking at him, that his aura was... very intimidating. Especially for a small grass-type like me.

I found myself growing a bit stressed. I hoped he wouldn't be mad at us for intruding...

Corviknight turned, and as his face became visible, I saw that he had deep red eyes. I shuddered. Upon seeing our small group, he glared warningly. "What..? How did you get in here?" He asked in a deep hoarse voice.

"We found our own way in, sir..." Sakura stepped forward bravely and squared him up. Only someone who knew her a bit better, like me, could see that she was afraid, her tail trembling ever so slightly. "We just- we desperately need to ask you something.. it's very important! But after that, we promise we'll get out of your hair right away, sir!" She continued, standing up straight and stiff.

The large flying-type didn't seem to react to that, simply staring back at us with that same cold look. His gaze was hard and analyzing, like he was looking into each of our souls. I gulped. I could hear Hunter shift a bit closer to me, his head bowed fearfully. Mesprit appeared to be completely still... unintimidated by his gaze. When I risked a glance over to her, there was a very sorry expression on her face. She... pitied him?

He gazed at her the longest, it seemed.

"What is it you wanted to ask me?" Corviknight spoke up suddenly, startling us.

"Ah! Well- we were hoping you'd know something about... the locations of the tapu shrines." I said hesitantly, fiddling with my hands and avoiding his eye.

"The land spirits?" He asked seriously. I nodded, feeling rather meek. He narrowed his eyes. "Why would you want to go there? Such small beings such as yourselves... you would not survive long on such a journey. Even with a legendary by your side, she is still weak and healing," he eyed Mesprit seriously, "are you not?"

"I am perfectly fine, thank you..." She said with a pout, but her voice was oddly gentle, as if she was holding back for his sake. "I just need to remember how to fly, is all... it's you who isn't fine."

He snorted in irritation. "Thanks for reminding me of my past, miss," he ruffled his iron feathers and then turned his gaze to me. "You are Moss, correct?"

I blinked and my mouth fell open. "Whuh?" He knew me?

He was not amused by my confusion. "I have heard of you, from the Guildmaster... I know the feats you have accomplished... are you sure you can face the danger you will find there?"

I was surprised Serperior had spoken of me... I steeled my expression and nodded determinedly. "Yes, with my friends by my side... We plan to close the portals that have opened to the other world, and since we have Cosmoem now, I know we can do it!" I clenched my fists, getting a bit fired up as I announced my belief in my friends.

But Corviknight continued to stare at me with the same stern expression. "Cosmoem, hm..." he hummed, "I have heard what happened with you and your team. The fact that you came back alive is very impressive." His voice didn't sound impressed. "Nobody thought you would return, after being taken away by those beasts... but what you faced will be nothing compared to what awaits you at the shrines, I assure you."

"I know!" I stomped my foot and stood firm. "But I have to try! Cosmoem chose me for this task, and with my friends by my side, I know we can overcome anything! So please- tell us where the portals are, where the shrines are- we need to know! Before more Ultra Beasts can show up, before they can destroy everything..!"

Corviknight stared at me, almost daring me to flinch, but I stared back up at him bravely. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sakura anxiously looking back and forth between the two of us. After a few moments, he sighed.

"...I knew you would come to me eventually. The Guildmaster was here last night, asking me to help you..." I blinked in surprise. She did? "I admit, I was skeptical about you and your friends. I still am, truthfully. You are naive, and have not known true loss, or failure. I don't know if you can save the world... but I will do as the Guildmaster requests. She was a good friend to me long ago, back when she was young.."

"The guildmaster was young?" Hunter blurted out confusedly. I turned to him incredulously. He flushed in embarrassment. "She's just... so big, is all..."

"Indeed, I was a member of her team, long before she formed this guild," Corviknight said, ignoring Hunter's embarrassment. Instead he turned to Mesprit, who continued to stare at him intently. "However... thats neither here nor there..." he started to walk, moving slowly towards his bed before heavily sitting down into it. "I will tell you the locations of the shrines... but first you must collect my map." He gestured to a large map, spread out across one of his counters.

Sakura and I collected it together (although Mesprit did try to use her telekinesis to move it for us- it wasn't so successful), and we laid it out on the groudnm before Corviknight, so he could point at it and explain the details of the places we were to travel to. "First... the closest portal to us, is at Tapu Koko's shrine.. although, you need no directions there," he grumbled with a tired sigh, "the second, is Tapu Lele..."

He explained the path to each of the shrines as best he could, but there were some details even he was not so sure of anymore. It seems that Tapu Koko was right... Serperior and her team really had found their shrines before...

When we were done looking over the map, he instructed me to fold it up. "Keep it," he sighed, and I gasped.

"Really?"

"Yes, go ahead... I won't be needing it any longer, anyway..." He took a deep, despairing breath, and his eyes were drawn back to the balcony. I exchanged worried glances with Sakura and Hunter... but to my surprise, Mesprit clenched her fists and almost seemed angry- and then started to fly up into the air. Her movements were wobbly at best, but she was determined to make her way over to him. She reached out nd touched his chest with her hands, swaying uneasily ever so slightly.. she smiled up at him a moment, before shutting her eyes.

The gems on her head and tails softly began to glow, before the light grew and encompased her whole body in a soft pink light.

"What's she doing?" Hunter whispered in my ear.

I shook my head, not taking my eyes off of her. "I don't know.." I replied softly.

We watched as the light grew, gently surrounding Corviknight's body, before he shut his eyes and accepted it. The light grew so bright we were no longer able to see any of his or Mesprit's features. There was a soft ringing sound, like the tinkling of a small wind chime. I hadn't heard such a noise since I was human...

As the light slowly faded away, Mesprit groaned and tiredly dropped to the ground. Sakura darted forwards, "Mesprit!" and caught her before she hit the ground.

What's happened?" Hunter asked, following me as I came closer to inspect Mesprit. It seems she'd fallen asleep.. fainted.

Sakura sighed and helped shift Mesprit into a more comfortable sleeping position. "I think... she used healing wish. I've seen it once before- it spends all the users energy to heal the serious wounds of another... so the user always faints after using it."

"So that means..." I backed up and craned my neck up to look at Corviknight. He seemd a bit tired still, but he no longer seemed in pain, or grumpy. He looked down at me with a curious look in his eye.

"Go. You've gotten what you wanted..." He said softly. His voice was no longer so ragged. I smiled and nodded.

"Okay... thank you, sir.."

Sakura, Hunter and I all gathered Mesprit up, and we left together. But as I shut the door behind me, I spied Corviknight cautiously, experimentally, standing up onto his legs.. and he opened his wings, looking them over for damage. They looked brand new.

\---

We made our way directly back to my room, where I wondered whether Snowflake or Kubo would be awake. It was still rather early, but then again, they usually woke up before me... As we entered the room, two pairs of eyes were immediately on us. It seems like my friends were indeed awake. "Where have you been?" Snowflake asked, standing from her place next to Kubo and walking up to us, her eyes on me. "You left without waking us!"

"I'll explain later," I said urgently, wanting to let Mesprit down as quickly as possible.

"Yeah! And you missed breakfast!" Kubo announced to Hunter's dismay, as we carried Mesprit over to her bed and laid her down.

"WHAT! Nooo!" He whined, his tail dropping to the floor. "But I'm so hungryyy!"

"Fortunately-" Kubo said over his complaining with a smug grin- "I brought some back with me." and he pointed over at the table. There were three servings of food sitting untouched on it.

"You're a lifesaver!!" Hunter tackled him excitedly, laughing all the while. Kubo yelped and demanded Hunter get off him right this instant!! This was so uncool! Snowflake and I giggled at the sight. Sakura frowned for a moment, still feeling unsure... before a grin slowly slipped onto her face, and she quickly ran to the table.

"You better do what he says, Hunter! Or else I'll eat everything first!"

"Waah! You wouldn't dare!" Hunter leapt off of Kubo and raced over to her.

Kubo laughed, "haha! Thanks Sakura!"

"Hey, I'm hungry too!" I called, not willing to let them eat my food without me. As we bickered, I failed to notice the soft, gentle look on Snowflakes face. She watched us warmly for a moment, until Sakura began throwing her food at Hunter.

"..Alright you two, break it up!" She laughed, stepping in the way.

"Yeah, play nice you two," I grinned, leaning on my elbows on the table. Sakura stuck her tongue out at me and said I 'wasn't her dad' again. I frowned in annoyance, but I didn't become properly embarrassed until she called Snowflake the 'mom.' We both flushed and looked away.

I supposed that explanations could wait until later... it was just nice to have everybody together and getting along. My team... I looked over at the sleeping Mesprit, and then at Cosmoem.

I couldn't wait for the day when we'd all be able to relax like this all the time.


	15. Chapter 15

As we finished eating, Sakura, Hunter and I explained what we learnt from Corviknight to the others. We all needed to be up to date if we were going to be prepared to go on our trip to the next shrine as soon as possible. We all sat together at the table now, Kubo and Sakura sitting on the table completely as there weren't enough chairs for all of us.

"Tapu Lele..." Kubo mused, "I understand that her's is the closest, but wouldn't going to Tapu Fini's shrine be easier?"

Snowflake blinked at him, standing up and putting her paws up on the table. "What are you talking about? You're the only one who could handle it out of all of us!"

"You're one to talk," Kubo said with a small tilt of his head, "It'd be up in the north! You're an ice-type, you can handle the cold."

"That doesn't mean I can breath underwater, Kubo!" She raised an eyebrow and squinted incredulously at him, waving her tails.

"Aww come on, we still have more of those berries!" Kubo cut back, but didn't have any real bite in his voice. I knew he just liked debating for the sake of it. "It'd be fine!"

Snowflake sighed tiredly and slimped back into her chair. "Forgive me, but I would really rather not do that again.. at least for a while."

"I think Tapu Lele's shrine would be the easiest for us for now," Sakura suggested frankly. "We should go to the underwater one last, since only one of us is a water-type." She turned to Kubo and giggled.

"Awww, fine." Kubo said grumpily, crossing his arms and sinking into his chair. "I can't believe you guys..." he lit up suddenly, "Moss! Hunter! What do you guys think? You can't let the girls team up on me!" He grinned at the both of us excitedly.

Hunter blinked at him confusedly and I scratched at the back of my head. "I, uh... I think the flower field seems like the best choice."

"What!" Kubo groaned, "what about you, Hunter?" The aformentioned zorua shrunk back a bit surprised at the excitement in Kubo's tone.

"I- i don't know- I think something easier would be best..."

"Awww come onnnn!!" Kubo whined, "you guys are all such babies! Flowers!? That's so not cool! Where's your sense of adventure!"

"It's hiding behind my fear of failure." I said with a deadpan expression on my face. "Come on man, we barely survived our last "adventure." I think we all could use something a bit easier."

"Ugghhh!!"

"How about this," Snowflake sighed, "We'll go to Tapu Lele's shrine now... and then when we go to Tapu Fini, you can show off all you want." Her serious tone turned into a dry humour as she finished speaking.

Kubo puffed up his cheeks angrily and Snowflake giggled. He mulled over his response for a moment, before finally rolling his eyes with a huff. "Alright. That works... but I'm gonna bring my skis just to show off twice as hard." I laughed in surprise at that, remembering his old skis. I completely forgot he could do that! Snowflake chuckled too, seeing my amusement.

Hunter and Sakura frowned in confusion. "skis..?" They looked to me and Snowflake for answers but we didn't have any for them.

"So... that means we're going to Tapu Bulu's shrine next," Hunter said softly, after a short moment. "That doesn't seem very fun to me..."

"Yeah.." I shuddered at the thought. "But! I think as soon as tomorrow, we should head out for Tapu Lele. Just to make sure we don't waste any time!" I said, setting a more determined look on my face. Who knew how much time we had.

All of them nodded in agreement before Kubo spoke up again. "Should Mesprit come too? Since you guys said she's gotten a lot better.."

I paused, looking over at where she slept on her bed. She still hadn't awoken from fainting after healing that old corviknight. Her eyes were shut loosely, and she slept soundly.. she didn't really seem in pain as she slept anymore. I shook my head, looking back over to Kubo. "She's gotten a lot better... but I think she needs more time before she can come with us."

I turned to Sakura and Hunter for confirmation and they both nodded. "She's only just now been able to move again, and it's still a little sloppy." Sakura said worriedly.

"Oh... okay." Kubo sighed sadly, propping his elbow up on the table and resting his head on his hand.

"I'm sure she'll join us eventually, Kubo," Snowflake smiled encouragingly, "but for now.. we should just make sure she stays safe."

Kubo grinned back at her, his smiled a bit anxious and shaky, but he still managed to nod back at her.

Deciding what to do next was much less eventful- we marked down the path we were going to take, and then went out into the guild to collect the supplies we'd need. This would be a long trip on foot, so lots of food and items would be essential. Hunter knew where we needed to go onthe guild to get most of the supplies we needed, and to my relief, Sakura didn't even tease him about it.

As Hunter and I were gathering up some spare orbs from the guild storage, the rest of the team was off in the kitchen preparing (and debating about) the food we'd be bringing with us. As I finished putting the orbs away, I saw a shadow fall over me. I blinked and turned around.

Guildmaster Serperior was lording over us, her nose held high and her eyes narrowed slightly. If this wasn't how she always looked, I would've guessed that she was angry with me. Her red eyes glimmered intensely. "Hello, Guildmaster.." I said softly, shutting my bag and turning around, "is there something you wanted?"

Serperior tilted her head and looked over at Hunter. He clearly wanted to shy away but managed to hold his head up and meet her eye. She acknowledged his bravery with a small, almost imperceptible snort. "You've changed, zorua, since your time as a thief." She tilted her head almost curiously, and I could see a glint of appreciation in her eyes. "I trust that you will be faithful to us from now on." She stated rather confidently. Hunter smiled hesitantly and his hopeful ears perked up.

"I- I will!" He forced out, "I won't let you down!"

She nodded subtly and turned to be without another word to Hunter. She hummed to herself. "Do remember to bring everything you need. One slip-up can be fatal after all," she told me rather stoically. I blinked back at her, not feeling at all reassured by her words. Despite this, a part of me could tell that she was merely trying to tell me to be careful. So I nodded.

"Thank you, guildmaster," I smiled, "I will."

She nodded and turned away, slithering off without another word. As she left the room, Hunter shivered and turned to me incredulously, "she gives me the shakes! Was that supposed to be encouraging?"

I shrugged, "at this point I'm not sure she even knows how to be..." I turned my attention back to packing and continued to ponder his question. The guildmaster seemed to like me. Or, at least I thought she did. Perhaps showing emotion was just hard for her?

As we finished packing, Hunter and I regrouped back with the others. By that time it was noon, yet I felt like I had had a full day already, with all our preparations. But we needed to get there as soon as possible, so... we would head out after lunch. I remembered the time that nice Nidorina girl and her Mudsdale friend gave us a ride on our way home... I wished we could see them again. Walking the whole way would be taxing enough on its own, I just hoped we didn't come into contact with any Ultra Beasts. I gave my bag a gentle pat, knowing that my dear friend Cosmoem was sleeping peacefully inside. She and I both couldn't afford to get caught...

"Tell me everything you learn about the enemy and the situation when you get back. Understood?" Serperior said as we were set up to head off.

"Yes, guildmaster!" We cried in unison.

We stood together just inside the gates of the guild, with the guildmaster, Mesprit and Lycanroc seeing us off. Mesprit had woken up again just in time to see us off, and was quite annoyed with us at the thought that we'd leave without saying goodbye had she slept too long. "Were you really going to leave me!" She had huffed and glared at us, crossing her arms. We had argued- well, Snowflake had- that her rest was more important, we weren't going to wake her up when she was still recovering. She wasn't totally satisfied with that though.

But now, she seemed a bit more okay with it. As Kubo, Hunter and I shouldered our three bags of supplies, the girls stayed back to speak with Mesprit, telling her not to stop practicing her levitation and wishing her good health upon our return. "Yeah, yeah! I'll be fine," she waved away their concern, "just you all come back in one piece, okay?"

"Of course, Mesprit," Sakura smiled, "it'll go real smoothly- because I'll be there this time!" She and Mesprit both laughed while Snowflake rolled her eyes. With that, they joined us, and we turned to start moving out the door. Mesprit waved to us as Lycanroc opened the gates for us, leaving the small legendary behind.

Serperior followed us outside the doors, but as we left the guild and made our way out into the bright sunny day, we found that there was somebody waiting for us outside as well. Stood there- his black steel feathers sticking out starkly in the bright summer day- was the old Corviknight.

We all stared incredulously at him- even Serperiors eyes seemed to widen slightly in surprise.

"Corviknight- sir! What are you doing out?" Lycanroc gasped in shock. I turned to her questioningly, and she explained. She crouched down and whispered in my ear, "he sustained a horrible injury a few years back that forced him to retire- he hasn't been able to fly or even really walk much since then.. I'm the gatekeeper and it's been ages since I've seen him..."

As she spoke to me, Serperior moved closer to him and tilted her head at him. "What is the occasion for your presence here, my friend?"

"Friend...?" Kubo repeated softly, turning to Snowflake and shrugging in confusion.

Corviknight turned back to Serperior and frowned at her with a soft, grumpy sigh. "Mesprit is," he said shortly, which- to everybody's surprise- made Serperior's face twist up slightly. I don't think I had ever seen her actually repress an emotion. She seemed... annoyed?

What was her problem with Mesprit, anyway?

"And why would that be?" Serperior asked, her face carefully controlled back into a neutral expression again. But she couldn't hide the slight discomfort in her voice.

"She fixed me, is why," Corvinight grumbled and spread his wings out, stretching them out to their full wingspan. They were huge, casting shadows over my entire team. "I did not think anything would be capable of healing my wings... But a legendary's power is not to be underestimated, Serperior." I could have been imagining it, but there seemed to be a tinge of reproach in his voice.

Serperior tsked softly- was she feeling disciplined?- and looked away. "...it is a relief.. to see that you are better." She said blandly. Corviknight seemed content with this response, and turned to look down on me instead.

"You there, Moss." He said curtly, and I immediately stood up tall and at attention, hoping I didn't disrespect him. "I know where you plan to go. I cannot take you the entire way, but if I may, I wish to test my abilities by assisting you, and your team."

"H-..huh?" I gasped, blinking up at him.

He clarified himself, although his words were still equally as disgruntled as before. "I wish to carry the lot of you on my back. Do not worry for me, you all weigh nothing to me."

"I-.." I stumbled over my words, a bit unsure of what to say. This was.. exactly what I wanted! "I- I would- uh-"

"Yessir! Thank you sir!" Kubo jumped in to save me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and grinning up at Corviknight confidently. "A ride would be great help!" In response to his words, the rest of my team nodded in agreement.

Unphased by Kubo's energetic response, Corviknight nodded coldly. He lowered one of his wings down to the ground as if intending for us to use it as a ramp up to his back. "Come now. There is no time to waste." We all exchanged surprised, confused glances for a moment. Then we nodded seriously and my friends began cautiously climbing up and onto his back.

Before I joined them, I turned and bowed to Serperior politely. "We will not fail you, guildmaster."

"I know you won't," she looked back at me and though she did not smile, her eyes twinkled almost fondly, "come back quickly, now. All of you." she said sternly, looking up at Corviknight and at all my friends as they found a perch upon him. I quickly moved to join them, and as I did so, Corviknight nodded back at the guildmaster with a hard look in his eye.

"We'll speak more when I return," he said, which made Serperior nod stoically. I wondered what she thought about that prospect, but I was finding her harder to read when my focus was split between her and finding a good grip on Corviknights steely feathers. With that, though, Corviknight reachd his wings out, and started to wave them. He took a few running steps forwards- and seemed to do so with ease- before lifting off into the air.

"Good luck guys!" Lyranroc cried out after us, standing up as tall as she could and waving her paw above her head. "Come back alive, okay?" We all nodded and waved back as best we could. I smiled, but we were already becoming far enough away that I wasn't sure she could see it.

Corviknight started to bring us higher into the air. At my side, Hunter yelped and buried himself into Corviknights feathers. Kubo did the opposite, gasping and looking around at his surroundings excitedly. Snowflake and I hesitantly joined him and peered around. I turned back to see the guild and the village slowly disappearing behind the curve of the mountainside.

The wind was loud up here. As I looked around, I could see that there was a number of mountains around here. The mountain range was large and lush. From what Corviknight had shown us on the map, I knew that it was the mountain on the far end of the mountain range that we were looking for. It was the largest one, and it was largely covered in trees. Those trees hid the flower field that would house Tapu Lele's shrine.

But, looking around, there were so many forested mountains that I had no idea which was the one we would be looking for. Perhaps if I could pull out the map, I would be able to tell... but up here, with the wind whipping around, I wouldn't dare bring it out. I could only trust in Corviknight's judgement.

"Is this what it was like when you guys got kidnapped?!" Sakura cried over the whistling of the wind. Snowflake and I turned to her. We wer both squinting against the wind.

"Sort of-" Snowflake began to say.

"-but at least with the Ultra Beast it had us in a cage, so we didn't need to be scared about falling out!" Hunter yelled fearfully, with not without a little but of irritation in his voice too.

Kubo laughed, "but we actually had to willfully jump out then! This time we get to land safely!" He used his free hand to jokingly hit Hunter in the back. It mad Hunter scramble to keep his grip.

"Stop it, you maniac!" He screeched.

That managed to make Sakura laugh, and Kubo joined her. Snowflake shook her head disapprovingly at their amusement, before turning to me with a wry look. I returned her look with a small grin. For some reason, her sharing her dry amusement with me made me happy. I felt... trusted by her. I found myself oddly nostalgic for a moment... to see how far we had come.

"Ah... Alright!" Corviknight called to us. "I believe I have reached my limit. We'll be landing now!"

At that, we began to slow. Our descent was gentle and I could tell that Corviknight was taking great ease to make sure he was letting us down easy. Or perhaps, he did it for his own sake. He had only just recovered after all.

We landed in a clearing near the base of one of the mountains. I looked around as Corviknight rolled his shoulders and then opened his wings down to the ground, letting us off. I climbed off and my feet landed on the forest floor. As I looked up, I found us standing in the forest, along the side of a dirt pathway. It was a worn path, the forest floor was run down by the footsteps of many pokemon who must've frequently passed through. The slight opening in the trees that the pathway provided gave Corviknight a place to land. Now, all of my friends were joining me on the forest floor.

"Oh, joyest day!" Hunter cried, collapsing to the ground as if wishing to hug it. He curled up and shivered. "I'm never flying again!" He announced. Kubo chuckled at his reaction.

"Come on, it wasn't THAT bad! Last time was a lot worse!" He said encouragingly, but I could tell he was also teasing.

"Last time is why I hated it!" He snapped back, though he didn't stand up from the ground. Kubo chuckled at him and Sakura giggled along with him.

I watched the exchange with amusement myself, until Snowflake nudged me and pointed my attention towards the one who brought us here. Corviknight seemed less amused- in fact he hadn't seemed to be listening to our bickering at all. Snowflake had obviously noticed his exhaustion. She and I frowned at him worriedly. His wings were loose against his body, unlike before we took off. It was clear that it was harder for him to hold them up. I walked towards him, with Snowflake following close behind, and I fiddled with my hands.

"Sir? Are you alright?" I asked nervously.

He glared back down at me. "I am fine... My condition is none of your concern."

"But we are concerned," Snowflake said softly, "are you sure you're going to be able to make it back home?" She waved her tails a bit anxiously.

Corviknight squawked in dry amusement. "Hah! Of course. I just need some rest... after not flying for so long, I am a bit out of practice." He sat down in the grass and sighed... but then upon seeing our continued worried stares, he fluffed out his steely feathers and glared at us. "I'll be fine! Now stop worrying about me and pull out your map!" He ordered impatiently.

"Ah! Of course sir." I nodded and started ruffling through my bag. Kubo and the others heard Corviknight's shout, so they too began to curiously make their way over. Besides Hunter. He stayed back on his spot on the ground and watched us from afar. We decided to leave him be.

Kubo came up beside me and examined the map with me, as I set it down on the ground in front of us. Sakura and Snowflake sat opposite each other as Corvinight stretched out a wing to point towards one of the mountains near our destination. "Alright... we've landed here." He said, then moved his wing, "and your destination is here. It is the neighbouring mountain, you'll find it in..." He looked around and then lifted his wing up to point to the left of himself, up along the mountain we currently resided on, "that direction. To the east. You'll have to mae your way about halfway up- still within the treeline. If you search diligently, you will find a mossy stone, with an intricate flower pattern on it."

He pointed at the map again, where a very small scribble was drawn of what appeared to be a rose. I assumed that was a general idea of what the design looked like. "Push on that rock, and you will find a secret pathway that leads to her shrine." He finished, nodding seriously and folding his wings up at his sides again. I noticed that he held them a bit more confidently now. That was reassurring.

Kubo took the map and folded it up again. "How big is the stone?" He asked as he handed the map back to me. I stowed it in my bag as Corviknight replied.

"It would be almost as tall as I am. It works as a door, which opens to a rocky corridor." He said seriously.

"I see..." Kubo hummed thoughtfully, although he also seemed a bit excited. I couldn't help but grin and shake my head. Kubo always got so excited about adventure.

Sakura tilted her head. "So, should we get going?" She asked and looked around at the lot of us. "We should hurry if we're going to keep more Ultra Beasts from coming! We're lucky we haven't met any already!"

"That is true," Corviknight hummed, his deep voice rumbling slightly, "You must stay vigilant. This is not to be taken lightly."

"Right!" we all said together, standing up tall.

"We won't let you down, sir!" I said seriously. Corviknight turned to me. He glared at me for a moment, analyzing me. It reminded me a bit of the Guildmaster. He nodded at me.

"I am sure you won't," he said. "Now hurry along."

\---

The sun beat down on us as we walked, the shade from the trees barely hiding us from its heat. The warm weather would have been welcome- had we not been in the middle of hiking. I now had a bit of an idea of why Corviknight had seemed so exhausted. Hiking in the heat was exhausting.

Despite how the sun was now dipping in the sky, the heat did not let up. At least I had Snowflake to lean against as we stopped under some trees for a break and some supper. It was a good excuse to cuddle up with her...

I quietly ate my supper as Kubo re-examined the map. Sakura and Snowflake talked with each other a lot more amicably than they used to. They seemed almost cheerful, discussing what kind of adventures awaited us. Sakura's ideas were a lot more doom and gloom than Snowflake's, and Snowflake seemed a bit annoyed by that. Still, she didn't mention it, and their discussion continued without conflict.

Hunter, however, was a different story. As we hiked, he had followed a few steps behind us, never speaking. He seemed to be deep in thought- though what he was thinking about, I had no idea. He had been like this since we set off. I wondered what was eating at him so much...

Even now, as we were all eating together in the shade, he was sitting a little further away from the rest of us, not speaking to anybody and his eyes locked on his food as be absently ate. Curiously, I watched him. He didn't seem to notice my gaze on him.

"Hey, Snowflake..?" I nudged her, interrupting her conversation with Sakura.

"I- huh?" She turned to me with a frown.

I grinned at her playfully. "Don't let Kubo eat my portion, okay?" I giggled and gestured that I was going to stand up. Snowflake giggled back and nodded.

"I can try but you'd better be quick, Moss," she smiled, "I can't promise I can hold him off for long~!" We laughed, and I nodded back at her. That kind smile on her face always encouraged me so easily.

I stood and walked across our little rest spot to check on Hunter. I sat down next to him and crossed my arms casually. "Hey pal," I said as I sat down, to alert him to my presence. He jolted a little in surprise and looked up at me in surprise. But the moment he saw it was just me, he smiled weakly and nodded without a word. His gaze fell back down to his food. I frowned, "Are you okay, Hunter? You've been so quiet..."

He frowned. I wasn't sure what to make of that, but then he looked at me again with a more genuine smile this time. "I'm okay. I just..." he looked back down at his food again, "it's.. just hard to believe that I'm finally... not alone, y'know?" He turned to me and smiled awkwardly now. "I'm not homeless anymore, I have... friends. Honestly, it just feels like some kind of dream. Like any day now I'll wake up and be by myself again..." His ears drooped slightly. "...I don't deserve you guys."

I frowned at that, "Hey- its not a dream. You're a part of the family, dude!" I smirked slightly and winked at him, "we're all a bunch of weirdos. You know, I'd probably be homeless too if it weren't for Snowflake, or the rest of you guys. We all found each other."

"Yeah?" He smiled at me hesitantly. I nodded. He giggled softly and looked away. "You know.. you're right. I'm really happy I found you guys."

I smiled too, and we sat together in a comfortable silence for a little while. As I thought about it, I wondered why he had been alone in the first place. What had lead to him being homeless? For each of us, there was something that just naturally brought us together... but why had he been alone?

"Hunter?" I spoke up, and he hummed softly to let me know he was listening. "What happened with your family? Surely you had one..."

His face suddenly went blank. I could tell he was hiding his emotions, and I quickly regretted asking him. Clearly this was a touchy subject for him... I opened my mouth to say he didn't have to tell me, but he spoke up first.

"I had a family- parents, that is, yes..." he frowned down at the ground, lost in thought, "We lived in a small hut just out of town. We.. weren't exactly well-off. I didn't care, though... as long as we had each other, we were happy."

He took a deep, shaky breath, before continuing. "You know... Zorua and Zoroark aren't exactly trusted very much. Most pokemon think of us as sneaky, and so my parents could rarely get or hold down any kind of job... so they-" he flinched, "we.. often resorted to stealing so we could have food to eat..." He softly told me how his parents had been the ones to teach him how to use his illusions ability to steal.

Tears were slowly building in his eyes as he spoke. He avoided my gaze, and as I politely looked away for a moment, I realized that the other's were now listening carefully as well. When had they tuned in? "But.. one morning, they told me to wait at home- and told me that they had to go find some food, because our stash was empty. This wasn't anything new, I often got left behind when they wanted to go do something riskier.." his lip trembled and he stiffled a sob.

Instinctively I put a hand on his back, and that only seemed to make it worse, and the tears in his eyes finally passed the threshold and began to slip down his cheeks. A miserable tremble went through his body and his voice cracked as he continued. "But that day was different..! Because- b-because they didn't come back. I waited and waited! They always came back before, but..."

His voice broke and he sobbed, curling up on himself. I quickly shifted closer to him and wrapped my arms around him securely. I hugged him tight as he cried. "I don't even know what happened!" He whimpered softly. "I'll never know whether they died or abandoned me!"

It was at that heart-wrenching, hushed admission that I felt a cool presence wrap around my own arms, and around Hunter. I looked up and saw Snowflake had joined in hugging him. She smiled at me softly, and I could see a sympathetic sadness in her eyes. I nodded and her and the two of us rested our cheeks on his head. He did not recoil away from our touch.

Shortly following Snowflake, Kubo and Sakura joined us in the hug. I peered over at Sakura as she wrapped her tail around us, and she smiled back at me shyly.

"Don't worry, Hunter..." Snowflake said softly, nuzzling into the fur on his head, "from now on, you'll never be alone again..."

"That's right!" Kubo said happily, "all of us are here for you!" We all nodded in agreement, thought he couldn't exactly see it through all the tears in his eyes.

Hunter was clearly grateful for our support, as he quickly began to calm down, wiping his eyes with his paws and shaking his head to rid his mind of sad thoughts. I blinked in surprise as the first one of us he looked at, was Sakura.

"...You too..?" He asked her softly. She flushed in embarrassment and tilted her head away a little.

"I.. never really thought about why you'd end up the way you were," Sakura said apologetically, "I'm sorry I thought you were a bad pokemon."

Hunter smiled weakly and nodded at her. "It's... okay. I forgive you." She smiled brightly at that. He turned to me and smiled. I smiled back. "Thank you..." he said softly, and then diverted his gaze to sweep over the lot of us, "all of you, thank you. I will not let you down, my friends... I promise."

"And- we won't let you down either!" Sakura chirped determinedly. Hunter giggled at that. I was glad to see the two of them getting along finally. And I was happy he had opened up to us about this. From now on, I knew he would be comfortable sharing things like this with us.. and us with each other as well. We really were a family now...

\---

After our break for supper, we continued our travels. Now that we had made our way to the correct mountain, we now began to climb it. Even though we generally had an idea of where to look for the flower pattern, we knew it would not be easy. It was only one stone, intentionally hidden on such a large and imposing mountain. This would take a lot of hiking. But we dared not split up for the sake of speeding up the process, as Ultra Beasts were still attempting to track us, though we had had no super close calls with them as of yet.

I had spotted some flying overhead, away from the mountain, and knew that they must have been existing the portal from their world. But none had noticed out presence, or seemed to sense mine. Whenever we saw one, we were forced to duck and cover. We would hide in the underbrush and- for good measure- Hunter would cast an illusion over us to make us invisible. I clenched my fists at the sight of them. Those monsters...

I couldn't stand to see them being let loose upon this peaceful world. We needed to find that portal, and quick. It was Kubo's idea to try and follow where the Ultra Beasts seemed to be coming from. Hopefully they'd give us some kind of idea of where to go. Unfortunately they didn't come very often- and they moved quite fast when they did.

Night had descended upon the mountain long ago, and we had spent the whole evening looking. Yet still we found nothing. Perhaps searching in the dark was foolish, but we didn't want to give up. We had to stop as many Ultra Beasts as possible from getting into our world.

Still, the search seemed hopeless, even with our makeshift guides... we were just about to give up and get some rest until morning, when I heard Hunters voice from a short distance behind us. He had trailed back a little had we had thought nothing of it. "Guys wait, come back! I think this might be it!"

"What? Really?" I cried ardently and the rest of us rushed back along the path back to him. It seems in our exhausted search, we had barely missed a small, secluded pathway. It was lush and covered in bushes and trees, but as we made our way along the path, we came across a large stone tablet, that hid in the shadows of the overhanging trees. Moonlight was barely able to illuminate the scene, but the subtle flower pattern engraved upon the rock was still somewhat visible.

"Woah..." Kubo moved to the front of the group and placed his hand upon the stone. We all waited in bated breath for something to happen... and when there was no response, Kubo pouted childishly and jumped to the sides of the stone, trying to pull it open like a door that wouldn't budge. "How do we open this thing!"

"I don't know, but stop doing that!" Snowflake swatted at him. The rest of us joined in on trying to find ways to open it. What had Corviknight said? I couldn't remember him saying anything about how to open it...

None of us were tall enough to reach the actual flower engravings that sat a bit more the top of the stone tablet. But Kubo was able to somewhat climb his way up with his slightly sticky feet. "Hey, guys! These things are actually able to rotate! Do you think it's a puzzle?" He called down to us, demostrating how the many little flowers spun around when pushed. They did not seem to turn easily... perhaps they were rusty?

Regardless, it was clear there was a certain orientation that the flowers needed to be in. But what could it be...

Something about the pattern was familiar, but I wasn't sure what. I could swear I had seen it somewhere before. After a good long while of us just randomly trying different solutions, I gasped. I began searching through my bag. it was hard to see in the pale moonlight, but I managed to pull out my map. "Aha!" I cheered as I opened it up and squinted at it energetically.

Snowflake noticed my haste and tilted her head at me. "Moss? Did you figure something out?" She asked curiously. I nodded at her excitedly and stepped over to show the map to her.

"See? The flowers are oriented in the same way as the mountain range! We wouldn't have been able to tell that without looking at them from the air!" As I spoke, Sakura and Kubo gasped excitedly.

"Wait- so the flowers need to be placed in the same orientation as the mountains?" Snowflake asked, but she already knew the answer. I nodded and she grinned. "Well what are we waiting for! Come on!"

At her excited insistance, I held up the map for Kubo to see. He hopped back and forth, doing his best to properly situate each flower. As he finished turning the final flower, a soft pink light began to glow frominside each engraving. Kubo hopped down from the tablet with a gasped.

We all stared up at the large door as it slowly began to slide aside. It rumbled deeply and pieces of moss and vines were pulled apart slowly as the old door finally slid to a stop. Behind the door, stood a long, dark tunnel. It seemed to reach deep into the stone wall of the mountain. Supposedly, it would open up on the other side. There the sky would open up to us again, and a large, hidden field of flowers could be found.

Along with Tapu Lele's shrine.

"Woah..." Sakura murmured, "how are we gonna know where we're going? It'll be so dark..."

"Don't worry," Hunter said, coming up to stand beside the skitty. He sighed and his ears drooped defeatedly. I could hear irritation laced in his voice. "I can see in the dark. It seems I will once again need to lead us through a dark and mysterious cavern..." Apprehension was also growing in his voice as he spoke. He clearly did not want a repeat of what happened with Azelf.

"Hey, don't worry," I said gently, moving up to Hunters other side and ruffling his hair "We'll be right behind you!"

"That's right," Snowflake added, "you know we'll always keep you safe. We made it through last time, didn't we?" She smiled softly. Hunter smiled back at her weakly.

"Right..."

"Plus!" Sakura chimed in excitedly, "you didn't even had me with you that time! That's clearly what lead you astray!"

"Alright, alright!" Kubo crossed his arms and tapped his feet. "Are we gonna go already or not!?"

I laughed softly, and nodded. With that, we began maing our way inside the tunnel. It was dark and ominous, but to my surprise, it seemed really run down and poorly kept. It was overgrown with vines and moss- but said plant life was dead and crunched under our feet as we walked. Even in the harsh darkness, I could tell this place was falling apart. It smelled rotten.

"Oh!" Hunter said from in front of us. We hesitated and looked at him for an explanation.

"What is it?" Kubo asked, as he was the one directly behind Hunter. Hunter laughed incredulously.

"We made it... I see moonlight."He said breathlessly, and immediately broke away from Kubo to rush out of the tunnel at a run. We followed after him hurriedly, not wanting to be left behind and not wanting him to run into anything dangerous either.

I stumbled here and there as we ran through the darkness, but quickly the tunnel opened up and I could see trees and stars overhead again. I let out a breath of relief to be out of that claustophobic cave. I looked around. And all of my relief fell away.

I expected a pretty field of flowers like everyone had told me. But what I was faced with was a bare, destroyed valley of dirt, dead dried plants, and small patches of grass. Did we really make it to the place we were looking for...? Was this really Tapu Lele's shrine? It looked... decrepit.

"What happened to this place..." Snowflake breathed softly from my side. We continued to stand at our place along the wall of the tunnel, not yet moving out into the clearing. There was a building that stood on the far end of the field. If it had been properly intact, I knew that it certainly would have had the same structure as Tapu Koko's shrine. But the building was not intact. Like with Tapu Koko, the stone structure was crumbling, nothing more than ruins. Even from our far distance away from it, and through the darkness of the night, I could see how bad its condition was. It reminded me of old ruins from my own world. Civilizations lost to time...

Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and an Ultra Beast climbed its way out from the ruined shrine. It shrieked as if pained somehow, and paused. Hunter immedaitely cast an illusion of invisibility over us, afraid that it had spotted us. I wasn't so sure it was even calable of sight.

It appeared to be a bundle of cables, twist-tied together and ending with a spiked, glowing ball at the top. I wondered if any of my pokemon friends would even realize what it was... but I did. It must be a very powerful electric type...

Thankfully it didn't seem to have noticed us. The beast shook slightly as if shaking off some discomfort, and then began to walk again. It stood up on two of its five projected cables as if standing on two feet, and ten began to climb up and over the walls of the clearing. Where it was off to, I had no idea.

Still, I grit my teeth. Off to terrorize innocent pokemon, I was sure...

"Alright... That seems to be the only Ultra Beast around." Hunter said softly as it moved out of sight.

"Then we should act fast before another one comes," Kubo insisted softly, "we have to get Cosmoem to Tapu Lele."

"Where would she be, then?" Sakura asked. "She doesn't seem to be here..."

Snowflake shook her head. "We'll probably have to go inside the shrine. We had found Tapu Koko inside his shrine as well..." She turned to me knowingly. I nodded back. Kubo had been right.. we would need to act fast.

With Hunter's invisibility illusion still cloaked over us, we began slowly creeping our way through the dead and decaying flower field. The ruins were very large, and seemed just the same size as Tapu Koko's. There were huge pillars reaching up to the sky above us. Most of the ceiling had caved in. I hoped Tapu Lele was be okay...

We entered the deepest part of the ruins, and that's where we found the portal. It swirled, letting off its soft blue light. It hummed absently. Sakura gasped in awe from her place behind me.

"So that's what it looks like..." She breathed in amazement. "If it wasn't such an awful thing, I think it'd be kinda pretty.."

"It's not so awful..." Snwoflake chided her gently, "it's not meant to be, anyway... they're just abusing it." Snowflake turned to me with a soft, kind smile. "After all, without these portals, Moss would have never gotten to us. Right?" There was such kindness and affection twinkling in her eyes. For some reason that made me look down in embarrassment, my face warm.

"I.. I don't know.. Only Cosmoem would really know how I got here.." I mumbled awkwardly. I held my bag closer to me, feeling reassured at her sleeping presence.

"Well we'll be needing her help regardless, now..." Hunter said softly, his gaze facing away from us, towards something lying prone on the ground a little ways from the portal. "Because I think... that might be Tapu Lele."

We followed his gaze, and discovered a stone statue. It was smaller than Tapu Koko was, and the body type was drastically different. However, there still seemed to be a sense of similarity about it. Without a doubt, I knew that that had to be her. Tapu Lele. This was one of the Tapu's that had guarded the portals with her very life...

"Alright guys," Kubo said authoritatively, "it seems to be a good time now, since there aren't any Ultra Beasts here. So Moss..." he turned to me and nodded. "Take Cosmoem out... hopefully we can do this quickly before any new beasts arrive."

I nodded. I opened the bag and gently reached in for her. As I pulled her out, I could see her face was still sleeping contentedly. She was seemingly completely unaware of the world around her. But I knew she was listening. She knew where we were. Didn't she?

I stepped forwards, and my friends cleared a small path for me. Gently, I placed my friend on the ground next to the fallen Tapu.

For a few long moments, we waited....

Nothing happened.

Snowflake stepped up next to me to frown at her. "I don't understand... She had reacted to Tapu Koko before. Why not now?" She shook her head confusedly.

I opened my mouth to reply, but I was interrupted by a loud screech coming from outside the ruins. We jumped and turned to face the sound. Hunter scrambled to reinforce his illusion and ushered us to duck and cover behind a fallen pillar. We rushed behind the pillar, I sat with my back against it, feeling my heart race a little at what could have possibly made that frightening sound.

Then, there was another cry. But this one actually sounded like... a cry of pain or perhaps fear?

Kubo climbed up the pillar to peek over and see. Hunter shook his head wordlessly, clearly thinking it to be a bad idea. But then Kubo gasped at what he saw, and I followed his lead to see what it was. Hunter only shook his head more and anxiously bit his lip as Snowflake and Sakura also joined us.

Following Kubo's gaze, I saw.. another one of those strange, electric cable Ultra Beasts. It had just finished climbing over the rim of the mountain that hid the valley from the outside. it smashed through a tree as it landed on the old and dying field of flowers. In two of its long cable-arms, it seemed to hold a small creature... it was a pokemon!

From our distance, I couldn't exactly see what pokemon it was, but I could see it was conscious. It cried out for help and squirmed fruitlessly in the beast's grasp.

"Guys..! That thing kidnapped a pokemon! We have to save them!" Kubo whispered harshly to us, slowly standing up higher on the pillar, readying to shoot a water gun at it. But-! That beast was clearly an electric type!

On instinct, I harshly gripped Kubo's wrist in my paw. He stopped and whipped his head to me in surprise. "Moss! What are you doing?" He blinked at me.

I shook my head and I tightened my grip on his wrist. "That thing is definitely an electric type. Trust me... You shouldn't fight it."

"I don't care if I'm weak to it! That thing is gonna abduct that pokemon! We have to fight it!" Kubo insisted, he glared at me and ripped his arm from my grip.

"What!?" Hunter stressed from the floor, "we can't fight it!"

"We have to!" Kubo snapped at us.

Snowflake fixed him with a stern glare, "and we will."

He grinned at her hopefully. "We will...?"

"Yes," she nodded seriously and looked between him and me, "but we need to be prepared. That thing is defintiely going to be stronger than us. We can't just jump into a fight with it blindly."

"Right..." I sighed and took a deep breath. "Okay.. Kubo, you'll support us from the back," I hummed thoughtfully and turned to look down at Hunter, "you'll have to keep up your illusions, to keep that thing distracted." He nodded at me but I could see anxiety rising in his eyes. Still, he did not protest. "Sakura, you and Snowflake will accompany me in the front. Got it?" I asked, looking over each of them.

Everybody nodded in agreement, though Kubo and Hunter looked reluctant.

"I got this!" Sakura said confidently, jumping down from the pillar to move towards the beast. Snowflake and I followed her hastily, and I looked back up at it. It had made its way across the field and was now taking its first steps within the desolate halls of the ruins. As it was much closer now, I could see the pokemon it held in its clutches.

It appeared to be a girl, and she squirmed and shot weakened bursts of fire from her mouth in an attempt to burn the rubbery hands. She was mostly a pale peach colour, but her tall, V-shaped ears were a bright orange colour. Her bright blue eyes were squinted in fury and pain.

Was she another pokemon the Ultra Beasts were after?

"Aha!" Sakura attacked with a fake out- attempting to surprise the beast. It screeched in surprise and flinched, it's grip loosening around the pokemon. She gasped in shock and opened her eyes wide, looking around for where that attack had come from. but I knew she wasn't going to be able to see us.

"Now!" I shouted to Snowflake, and she immediately opened her mouth and fired an ice beam up at it. I fired a pin missle up along with her. The beast was still reeling from Sakura's attack, and thus it stumbled back when our moves hit.

"Save the pokemon!" Hunter's voice cried from behind me, and from over my head I saw a dark pulse and a water shoot over my head at the beast. As their moves collided with its strange spikey head, it roared furiously and finally let go of the pokemon. She gasped and immediately dropped to the ground. I shot forwards and managed to catch her.

Though that did mean that I was right in the line of fire of the beast, and I was now collapsed on the ground. I shifted with a soft groan. I sat up, holding the fallen pokemon in my arms. Distantly, I could hear Sakura and Snowflake still fighting off the beast, but my focus was exclusively on the dizzy girl.

"Hello?" I said urgently, "are you alright? We need to get moving, or else you're going to get hurt. Can you stand?"

She blinked blearily up at me, her gaze focusing. I knew since she had hit me, that she was going to be able to see me now. Still, it took her a moment to be able to see properly. "Oh..." she said softly, "hello there... are you here to save me?"

I nodded frantically, "yes! Now let's go!"

She stared at me tiredly for a moment. "Okay.." She raised her hand and pressed it against my chest. Her hand began to glow, and it shimmered warmly against my fur. It felt almost like a small batch of sunlight... and then I felt a sudden rush of strength. I almost gasped as it swirled around me, feeling like a slight hit to my gut. What was this feeling? What had she done? Whatever it was, it was a great help. With my new strength, I stood and lifted her into my arms. I looked up.

Snowflake had been zapped harshly by the beasts attacks, and I almost rushed over to make sure she was alright. But I stopped myself as Sakura moved to stand in front of her, hissing up at the beast. Kubo and Hunter had emerged from behind their safe place and were moving in to fight too. They had managed to force the beast back, so far that it was almost backed out of the ruins. They were doing such a good job. I was so proud of them...

I turned and ran, hoping to escort the pokemon to safety. She whined and shook her head at me as I gently let her down behind the fallen pillar. "Wait! No, you can't fight that thing without me!"

I smiled sympathetically. "Thanks for wanting ot help- but you're clearly beat already..."

"I'm not the one who's going to be fighting!" She shook her head passionately. "I am Victini! the victory pokemon! That thing tried to kidnap me because it wanted power- not that I'd give any to it! Even though it tried to force it out of me..." her voice softened sadly, and reached out her arms for me to see the various elecrticity burns that laced around her body. Victini's eyes hardened. "But if you guys are going to wanna win, you need me!"

I stared at her for a moment. The conviction in her eyes told me that I probably didn't have much of a choice in this matter. I sighed, "Alright..." A victorious look flickered through her eyes as I bent down again to now help her to her feet. She pushed me away once she was standing. She wobbled a little but she managed to remain standing.

"Take me to them," she stared at me solidly. I nodded, a bit shocked at her conviction, but I did as she said.

We reached Snowflake first. She wasn't fainted, but she was unable to fight. She was lying on the hard stone floor, watching weakly as our other teammates fought the beast in the grass. She turned to us tiredly as we approached, a bit confused. The confused frown on her face melted. She gasped as Victini fell to her knees next to her and placed her hands against her side. That strange glow came again, and Snowflakes eyes were wide in shock.

When the glow faded again, Snowflake lifted her head from the ground... and then stood. She shook her head. "I..." She blinked, "thank you!" She gasped.

"Yes!" Victini said, clenching her fists and her eyes ablaze with determination. "Now let's send that beast back where it came from!"

The two girls nodded at each other, and I grinned as an idea came to me. I lifted Victini up and placed her on Snowflakes back. They were both shocked at first, but then Victini grinned. "Take me to your friends, and I'll grant them my power!" She urged Snowflake excitedly. Snowflake blinked at me in bewilderment for a moment. I shrugged helplessly. She cracked a small amused smile at me.

"Alright," she chuckled softly despite the situation, and ran Victini over to Hunter, who was the closest. After he was confusedly powered up, Kubo and Sakura followed. We were ready now, I knew, to chase that thing away.

"Towards the portal, now!" I called, urging my friends to round it back to its own world. Snowflake placed Victini down in the dead grass so she could use her full speed- she raced behind the beast and shot an ice beam at once of its strange legs. Kubo and Sakura joined her, attacking it along with her. I stayed in front, trying to give it something to walk towards. "Come get me!" I taunted. Overwhelmed by our sudden strength, it screeched and stumbled forwards, sending a powerful shockwave through the area.

"Waah!" I gasped as it hit me... but then opened my eyes again. I had raised my arms to protect my face but now I lowered them again. That warm heat that Victini had given me, as soft as sunlight, wafted over me again. I was barely hurt by the beast's attack at all. I looked to my friends, and only Kubo seemed to be at all bruised by it. I grinned.

We redoubled our efforts, caging the beast in by preying upon its feet. It stumbled forwards, screeching and roaring furiously. It drew closer and closer to the vortex.

"Moss! Get out of the way!" Hunter cried as we grew dangerously close. I dived out of the way and fell upon the stone floor. I hid my head as I could hear the loud BOOM's of my friend's moves. The Ultra Beast screeched and then... a loud SWOOSH overpowered the sound of its cries. I lifted my head and peered over at what had happened behind me. The beast was gone, and my friends were all tiredly collapsed on the ground.

"Woo-hoo!" Kubo sat down on the ground heavily, but nothing could keep him fro pumping his fists into the air. "What a rush! We did it! Now we just gotta close the door on that creep!"

"Hah... haha, that was fun!" Sakura laughed breathlessly, "and we managed to save somebody!" She laid tiredly on the ground with her head up cheerfully.

Hunter seemed a bit less excited, but he couldn't ban the relieved smile from his face. "Speaking of... is she alright?" He asked curiously.

"Oh!" Snowflake slowly climbed to her feet after she had sat down. "I'll go get her- she's too weak to really walk on her own." She left, off to find Victini, and I watched her go.

"Huh..." I frowned a bit tiredly as we waited for them to return. "How are we supposed to close the portal, though?" I turned and looked over at Tapu Lele. Cosmoem was still hovering over her, motionless besides how she floated up and down softly along with her breaths. I felt my heart sink a little.

"I'm sure something will work out," Kubo said encouragingly, "maybe she just needs a moment?"

I frowned at him a moment.. and then I sighed. I got up and began walking over to Cosmoem. What had happened to her... why wouldn't she respond anymore? How could we save Tapu Lele without her help? Or any of the other Tapu's? What could we possibly do...

"What's your name?" Hunter asked curiously from behind me. He must've been saying it to Victini, as Snowflake brought her back over to the group. I could hear Victini's voice, and knew that assumption was correct.

"I'm Victini, the victory pokemon!" She said energetically, and I turned back a little to find her throwing a peace sign gesture at Hunter. Hunter, as well as the rest of my friends, deadpanned in confusion at her theatrics.

"Okay... uh, nice to meet you, Victini," Sakura said, waving her tail with interest. "I'm Sakura." She smiled proudly, and then gestured to the rest of us, introducing us to her. Victini nodded politely.

"It's nice to meet each of you! My saviours!" She jumped forwards excitedly, but then collapsed. "Aaaow-!" She yelped, and Snowflake caught her.

"Are you alright?" Snowflake asked worriedly.

Victini nodded, putting a hesitant arm around Snowflakes neck. Snowflake helped her back to her feet. "Yes, yes... it's just.. my electrical burns.." She mumbled weakly.

I frowned sadly. I turned around to look at Cosmoem again. What could we do? If we didn't close that portal soon, many more pokemon would get hurt like Victini was... and who knew when some other nasty creature would come through to attack us...

"Don't worry, I'm sure the nurses will fix you up well once we get back..." I absently heard Sakura say softly.

"I'm fine, really... I'm just glad I was able to save us." I wasn't watching, but I could hear the immense pride in Victini's voice.

"You saved us? Sure, you helped give us extra power, but we did all the work!" Kubo protested as he tried to butt-heads with her.

But Victini didn't seem to notice (or perhaps didn't care) about his attempt to rebuke her. Her voice was instead raised in curiosity. "Hey! What's Moss doing over there? What's that?"

There were footsteps, and then I could see Victini arrive in the corner of my vision. She looked down at Cosmoem and at the statue of Tapu Lele. She turned to me and frowned curiously with her big blue eyes. I looked back. I couldn't hide the sadness in them.

"What is it..?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"This is.. my friend, Cosmoem." I said weakly, turning and placing a hand on top of her head. She bounced innocently at my touch. "We came here to close that portal," I gestured half-heartedly over my shoulder at the portal, "but... only the guardian can. And, well.. she's been turned to stone." I sighed, and Victini gasped in shock at the realization that the statue was in fact a real pokemon. I rubbed my neck, "Cosmoem is able to break them from the stone, so we hoped we would be able to fix things here.... but.." I trailed off defeatedly.

I didn't want to give up. But what could we possibly do? Wait for her to finally do something? How long would it take for Cosmoem to wake up again? If only I had some ideas of something to try, but I was fresh out of ideas...

"Hmm..." Victini held her chin thoughtfully, "well, it looks like she just needs to wake up, doesn't she? So I'll just give her some energy!"

"Huh?" I turned to her and gasped in shock as Victini clasped her hands together and rubbed them together in anticipation. She stuck her tongue out as she focused herself. Small sparks of her strange warm energy lit in between her hands. Then before I could say anything, she reached out picked up Cosmoem, and hugged her.

I gaped as her whole body began to glow this time. Victini shut her eyes as the glow intensified. From behind me, I could hear each of my friends gasp. The glowing became more intense, white and red lights streaming out from them. Even Cosmoem appeared to be glowing now. With a sudden flash- which made me shield my face from the light- the glowing steadily faded again.

The moment the light went out, Victini collapsed onto the ground tiredly and Cosmoem slipped out of her arms. Victini gasped for breath. She seemed very taxed. "I think... she'll be okay now."

Following her words, Cosmoem suddenly began to glow again. A bright light overtook her, and we all had to shield our eyes again, even Victini. I tried to peer though my arms and saw as Cosmoem appeared to grow. The white light grew stronger as her body grew and changed in shape. What in the world was happening to her!?

When the light faded, I was finally able to lower my arms. I blinked rapidly to make my eyes readjust. In the darkness of the night, I was barely able to see after all that light. But as my eyes adjusted, I craned my neck back to look up at... something amazing.

I stared in awe. I didn't need to look to know everyone else was too. Because in Cosmoem's place, stood a great big bat creature. Her huge creascent wings shimmered in the moonlight, almost as if there were stars twinkling within the pataguim of her wings. Her body looked like a skeletal, legless bat. She had a round face with a short snout, and her bright red-pink eyes blinked incredulously, as if she had been rudly awoken from a deep sleep. She looked around with her bright white pupils, which glowed softly in the darkness. Her forehead was a deep blue, with an ever-changing starscape swirling on it, just like her body had, bac when she was a Cosmog and Cosmoem. A rigid, curved crescent shaped hood wrapped around her head, and draped down around her neck as well.

She finally realized how high up she was, and turned her gaze downwards. She stared at me, and I couldn't help but think that she was beautiful. And yet... also a bit scary, too...

She smiled. The curve of her lips revealed two large, white fangs. Despite her slightly intimidating appearance, I could still tell by that smile that she was still.. my friend. No matter how she looked, she would always be my friend. I put my hand ot my chest and felt my racing heart calm. I smiled back up at her.

Someone applauded by my side. "Wow-wee!" Victini laughed. "I didn't know this would happen! Hahaha! This is crazy!"

In response, my friend took her eyes off of me, roving over to Victini with a confused look in her eye. She was completely silent, not responding at all to Victini's words. I knew she wouldn't recognize her. She then looked up and gazed around at the rest of my team. An air of familiarity shined in her eyes.

Then she looked down at Tapu Lele. The moment her gaze alighted upon that stone statue, her eyes went wide. She turned and floated over Tapu Lele thoughtfully. As I watched her, I suddenly remembered something Tapu Koko had told me. Cosmog's final form... it was either Solgaleo, or Lunala. If I could guess correctly... this was Lunala.

Lunala... my friend's true name. I looked up at her, and felt a strange surge of pride. She was finally her true self...

A skeletal hand reached down and lightly trailed across Tapu Lele's frozen face. That face.. it was twisted up in shock. I could see a forlorn look in Lunala's eyes... then, her eyes began to glow. They let out a sudden, large burst of light, and then faded back to normal. A few moments after, the statue began to glow. Like glass, cracks began to crawl over the smooth surface of the rock. A crackling sound softly bit through the silence as the cracks grew larger and spiderwebbed more intricately. Then, with a sudden burst of light, Tapu Lele broke from her seal.

"Haaah!" Her shrill, high pitched voice cried out, her arms raised in front of her and her eyes clenched shut. She shuddered a moment and then blinked open her eyes. Any fear or confusion was quickly banished from her expression. Suddenly behaving oddly casual, she stretched, and then looked around at us.

Tapu Lele looked up at Lunala blankly, then turned to me and Victini at my side. I waved at her, but she didn't seem to notice. Then her eyes roved over Snowflake and Kubo and Sakura-although her gaze lingered briefly on Hunter as she saw the clear apprehension in his expression. Then, she looked up and saw the portal.

She gasped, "What's that still doing open!" She exclaimed indignantly, as if someone had left the stove on after they finished using it. She quickly flew over to it and with that same strange power that Tapu Koko had held, she shut the vortex with a loud SWOOOSH!

Then, Tapu Lele turned around, and smiled at the lot of us. "Thank you all so much!" She sang happily, doing a small pirouette in the air. "It was so boring being a statue for so long! I don't think I could've stood one more minute in that thing!"

I couldn't help but be perplexed by the ease with which she discussed her situation. Tapu Koko hadn't been so lighthearted...

"Oh! Hahaha I almost forgot! I am Tapu Lele~!" She sang again, and I couldn't help but find myself mildly annoyed at her disposition. "And who are all of you? I must know the names of my brave heroes!"

I swallowed my irritation and smiled at her. Perhaps she was just a bit of an oddball. I gestured to myself. "My name is Moss. This is Victini, Snowflake, Kubo, Sakura, and uh, that's Hunter..." I trailed off as I saw Hunter was now shyly hiding behind Snowflakes back. Then I looked up at Lunala, smiling kindly. "This is... Lunala, right?" I asked hesitantly. She blinked, and seemed almost surprised at my knowledge... but then she smiled. She nodded down at me with a soft look in her bright pink eyes. She still refrained from saying anything...

"I see," Tapu Lele chirped, tilting her head curiously at us, "it is lovely to make your acquaintance! But- oh!" She gasped, and only now seemed to actually look at us properly. "You're all dreadfully injured! Just positively terrible shape! You look awful!"

I felt my annoyance come back. Yes, we all looked quite pathetic. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I will have to heal you all up right away!" She insisted. Then, Tapu Lele hovered up into the air energetically. She began to sing and spin in the air, flying up and over our heads. As she danced and hummed, something small sparkled down from her. It looked almost like glitter was being scattered over our heads. Curiously I reached up to catch some, and turned the little sparkling dust over in my paw. It almost looked like... a little pink scale. As I inspected it, the glittering seemed to grow, and then magically the scale was gone. I blinked and looked around at myself.

Any wounds that I had sustained here suddenly missing. I felt good as new, as if I had never been in any fights at all.

"Woah.." Kubo breathed, looking over himself as well. He seemed thoroughly impressed. "What is this? How can you do this?" He seemed almost in awe at her powers. I had to admit, it was quite magical. Even the healer pokemon in this world could not magically heal wounds like this. Even when Mesprit had healed Corviknights wings, she had fainted as a result. Tapu Lele had healed us effortlessly, without needing to do ay more than simply fly over our heads...

But, once again she made light of things. She giggled girlishly, "awww, it's nothing! hee-hee~!" She held her face in her hands as if she was flustered, "you'll embarrass me~ It's just my natural ability to heal other's up!" She continued to laugh.

Kubo turned to Snowflake and I, and we exchanged confused glances. Sakura seemed even more annoyed by her odd disposition than me, but Hunter seemed almost afraid by it. As if he expected her to turn at any moment...

I looked to Lunala, and she watched at Tapu Lele quietly, inspecting her curiously. She frowned. "Tapu Lele... might I have a word?" She asked gently. I blinked. Lunala's voice was distinctly different now, although her manner of speaking was the same. It was deeper and more mature. But I could still tell it was my little friend Cosmog as she spoke. "The portal has been opened a long time... I'm afraid you have missed... many developments.." she said hesitantly.

Tapu Lele giggled at her words, before a more serious look fell over her face. I blinked, almost surprised to see her calming slightly. "Yes, I can see it in your eyes what has happened." She hummed and did a little twirl as she thought to herself. it seemed that even when serious, she could still be a little odd. "Hmmm, now what can we do... Necrozma's army is coming; and since you're here, Lunala, our time is growing shorter by the minute!" She pouted worriedly, but it was so exaggerated that I wondered if it were even genuine.

"It would be best if you found a safe place to hide!" She said to Lunala worrledly. But then she smiled, almost condescendingly. "Don't worry about a thing, though, I'll take care of everything! I'll speak with Tapu Koko about figuring something out~"

"Wait-" Snowflake interrupted suddenly, "did you know that he was freed?" She asked.

Tapu Lele nodded. "Yup! I can sense him. And that is why I know my other siblings are still encased in stone..." She calmed again, growing more serious as a sadness fell over her. I felt pity for her. As ditzy as she was, of course she still loved and cared about her family... "I can't feel them, like I always used to be able to.." She hummed worriedly.

"Please... you have no need to be down," Lunala said compassionately, "Moss and his friends will save the others, just like they saved me, and you as well..." Her gaze drifted down to me, a soft smile still gracing her face. I smiled back up at her thankfully.

"Oh yes is that so?" Tapu Lele cheered up hopefully. I nodded, and the others did too. She giggled, "oh, good! It's lovely to know we have back-up, hee-hee~!" She did an excited little twirl in the air.

"And now, I must be off!" She announced, standing up tall and putting a hand to her chest. She acted almost as if she were the boss of us. "Hide and be safe, Lunala! And good luck, Moss, and Victini, and Snowflake, and Kubo, and Sakura, and Hunter!" She listed all our names off and I was almost surprised she remembered all of them. With that, though, she waved to all of us and turned.

She flew off, dancing around the valley and sprinkling her glittery pink scales over the barren field. Even from the distance and through the darkness of night, we could see as the dead grass began to grow again. Flowers bloomed out of old and crusty brown leaves, blossoms grew on long-dead trees. Vines and ivy that had died over the ruins of the shrine were now growing again.

Sakura and Kubo gasped loudly. We were all in awe of the impressive power that Tapu Lele possessed. She had turned that sad, barren valley into the flower field that we had been promised. When her work was done, Tapu Lele then disappeared into the night, flying off into the darkness until we couldn't see her anymore. I could hear her distant laughter. I couldn't help but wonder where she was off to.

Then, in the following silence, we all looked at each other.

Hunter spoke up first. "We... we should probably get back now, right?" He stepped out from behind Snowflakes back and seemed a lot less nervous now. I was surprised, half expecting him to be afraid of Lunala. She was rather uncanny-looking. And yet he seemed perfectly at ease in her presence, as if she was still a tiny, sleeping Cosmoem.

"That's right," Kubo said seriously, crossing his arms. "We have to get back to the guildmaster and tell her everything!"

"But... won't that take a long time?" Sakura tilted her head. She scrunched up her face worriedly. "We don't have Corviknight to take us back this time..."

"I can take you," Lunala pipped up shyly. We all turned to her and I was surprised to find her looking away anxiously. She blushed, "I mean, only if you want..."

"Of course!" Kubo bounced up excitedly. He hopped up to her and clenched his fists excitedly. "You could carry us all easily! It would be so cool!"

"Are you sure?" Her smile was quite nervous, "I've never really flown like this before... what if I messed something up, or we got attacked by an Ultra Beast..?"

"Then I'll power you up!" Victini said determinedly. Her eyes were filled with a passionate fire as she grinned up at Lunala. "No beast will be able to stop us with me around!"

"You?" Snowflake frowned at her, "when were you going to come with us?"

"Since now, that's when!" Victini put her hands on her hips confidently. "I can tell you guys are gonna need my help. Plus, I had nothing else to do anyway. Saving the world could be fun!" She smiled.

Sakura didn't seem pleased at that. She pouted at Victini rather grumpily. "Saving the world is hard work! It's certainly not fun..."

"Well it sounds fun to me," Victini brushed her off casually with a wink, "so can I come? Can I?"

We were silent for a moment following her plea. I could tell Sakura wanted to say no, but...

"I think we can use all the help we can get," Kubo said, coming up and wrapping an arm around Victini's neck. "As long as you think you can keep up with us, Vivi." I blinked at the sudden nickname, but I couldn't deny that Kubo was right. Snowflake couldn't either.

"I think if you want to come, then I wouldn't mind.." Snowflake said softly. I nodded. Hunter followed suit, and then there was only Sakura.

She huffed. "Oh, alright. But this is serious buisness!"

Lunala smiled at that. She landed on the ground and lowered one of her wings down for us to jump aboard. We wre hesitant at first, but then slowly climbed onto her back. Her boney, exposed ribs gave us easy purchase to hold onto. With a nervous grin, Lunala lifted her wing back up again, and took flight.

Finally, we were on our way home again.


	16. Chapter 16

"Oh, thank goodness you're all back so soon!" Lycanoroc's vice grip of a hug made me choke. I couldn't breathe...! She dropped me and then scooped up Snowflake instead. "And you're all unharmed! This is great- one less thing for us to worry about..."

Lycanroc had shrieked in shock and fear when Lunala had dropped out of the sky. It was early morning, and only the slightest peaks of sunlight was able to be seen creeping over the horizon. the sky was softening, and the air was calm and relaxed... so the sudden, giant bat creature was definitely not something she was expecting to see. but then, when I and my friends climbed off her back, her mood had shifted entirely into relief.

"I'm so glad to see you guys!" She noogied Sakura and they both laughed. "But um... who is this..?" Lycanroc hesitantly let go of Sakura and frowned nervously up at Lunala. With curiosity, Lunala looked back down at her, and then raised her gaze to inspect the area of the town around us. There were a few passerby who stopped and stared at the huge pokemon who had landed in front of the guild. I supposed that it probably was a little strange to see someone who was so big.

I placed a hand on Lunala's wing and she jerked a little in surprise, peering back down at me. "This is my friend- Cosmoem, remember?" I chuckled softly and smiled at Lycanroc. Her eyes went wide as I spoke. "She evolved into Lunala- thanks to Victini here." I said, then gesturing to the less impressive-looking new recruit.

At being addressed, Victini fluttered her strange tail-wings and flew up to Lycanroc excitedly. She grabbed ahold of her paws and shook them energetically. "Nice to meet you, doggy!" She sang happily.

Lycanroc's eyebrow twitched. "Hey, who you callin' a dog? I'm a wolf you know!" She snapped in irritation.

"Wolf, dog, who cares! Same thing!" She grinned innocently, but a part of me suspected that she was not so innocent about what she was doing. Lycanroc growled at her, but then controlled herself and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she grumbled and turned her attention back to Lunala instead, "it's nice to finally meet you properly, Lunala." She said with her hands on her hips. "I'm sure you'll be welcome here at the guild any time! But I'll have to go tell the guildmaster you're here! Oh, and Mesprit!" She exclaimed, turning back to enter the gates.

"Mesprit...?" Lunala gasped softly. I knew it must have been a long time since those two had gotten to speak. I was sure she would be happy to meet her again. They had been short friends, hadn't they... But then a sad look filled Lunala's eyes, and I frowned. Why would meeting Mesprit make her sad...?

Lycanroc disappeared into the guild and we waited together outside for a moment. Sakura, Snowflake, Hunter and I all sat together and rested after our long trip. Victini seemed a bit more energetic and peered around at the town curiously. Kubo was fiddling with something in his hands- back before we had taken off, Kubo had plucked a few of the magically reborn flowers to bring back home with us. At the time I thought he was just amazed by Tapu Lele's powers, but now he was messing with the little plants. What was he doing...?

"Guys!" Mesprit suddenly announced, flying out of the guild and doing a little excited flip in the air. We all gaped at her as she hovered up and put her hands to her hips proudly. "You're back! Just in time to see that I'm all better!" She puffed out her chest. We all smiled and Sakura laughed, happy to see her friend was okay and clearly back to full energy again. Mesprit smirked, "now you guys have no excuse to leave me behind anymore!"

I could see Kubo opening his mouth to speak, but Lunala interrupted him. "Mesprit... long time no see.." She said gently, yet a tad nervous. She seemed a bit nervous and uneasy in her presence. Mesprit looked up at her, and while she seemed unsurprised by her presence, she did seem a bit... intimidated by her size.

"Oh...! Lunala." Mesprit said. and I was almost surprised that she already knew her name. "You look.. so much like your mother." She smiled, "It's good to see you finally awake again. It really has been too long!" Mesprit giggled lightly. Despite her light and casual tone, the sad look in Lunala's eyes did not disappear.

"Mesprit... I.. I'm sorry for getting you hurt... those beasts were after me, not you. I was foolish for getting you into danger too.." She apologized weakly. It was strange to see someone with such a huge body, act so docile and shy in front of someone who was so much smaller than her.

Mesprit frowned. I could tell just from the confusion on her face that it never occurred to her to blame Lunala for anything. "It was my choice to house you," she flew up to Lunala's face and huffed in a bossy manner, "I should apologize for not protecting you like I promised!"

As much as I wanted to trust that she was all better now, seeing Mesprit so high off the ground filled me with anxiety. Lunala didn't seem bothered by it though, and simply frowned at her worriedly. "I.. I'm just sorry I had to get you involved in all of this... It's not your responsibility to protect me." She pouted. That expression did not suit her beautiful, yet ominous appearance.

"Nonsense! I told you before and I'll tell you again- I'll face any danger if it means keeping the ones I care about safe!" She crossed her arms and nodded affirmingly, as if she had just closed the conversation. Lunala frowned defeatedly and I couldn't help but blink in confusion. It seemed this was a topic she knew she couldn't make Mesprit budge on.

"Well.... I... thank you," Lunala murmured awkwardly.

Mesprit nodded again and floated back down to the ground. Sakura stood and ran over to her as she landed gracefully on the ground. Mesprit grinned at her. "Plus! look at all the new friends I've made... even if it was rather embarrassing to need saving.." She huffed in embarrassment. I looked up and saw that Lunala wasn't sure whether to feel better or worse at that statement.

"It's good to see you're all better now, though, Mesprit," Sakura said with a soft smile, "I missed you on my trip!" As she spoke, Snowflake, Hunter and I walked up to them and sat down in a semi-circle. Mesprit huffed and crossed her arms.

"I still can't believe you all went without me..." she said grumpily.

Kubo hung behind, watching us from his place where he had sat after climbing off Lunala. He seemed nervous, and I wondered why. He was always so strangely shy around Mesprit... Finally, he seemed to build up his courage and- after hiding the little arrangement of flowers behind his back, Kubo finally approached our group. Curiously, Victini watched.

"Hey, um, Mesprit..." Kubo stumbled, blushing slightly and averting his eyes. Mesprit turned to him and blinked.

"Huh? Oh! Kubo," she smiled a bit slyly and I wondered why that would be, "what is it?" She asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Kubo flushed deeper. "Well-! After Lunala freed Tapu Lele, she brought the entire flower field back to life. See- it had all wilted and died without her taking care of them. But!" From behind his back, he revealed the flowers- arranged in the shape of a little crown. He smiled brightly (and his face blushed brightly in tandem) and he placed the cute pink and white flower crown upon her head. "I made sure to bring back some of the resurrected flowers for you!" He finished with a little flourish.

"Ah!" Mesprit gasped with a small smile. I could tell she was genuinely touched by this sentiment. I smiled too. Even though we hadn't been able to bring her with us, we were still thinking of her. I was impressed that that's what Kubo had been preparing all this time.

"Hehehe!" Victini flew up to us and alighted on the ground softly just behind Kubo. She slapped him on the back amicably and continued to giggle. "Hehe~! Awww that's so cute! You have a crush on her!" She announced innocently.

Everyone fell silent for a moment and I was sure that Kubo was going to burst from embarrassment. If his face had been beet red before, it was a fully ripe tomato now.

"You little-!" He barked, and then opened his mouth to shoot a full-power water gun at her.

"YIPES!" Victini yelped and shot up into the air, trying to fly off as quickly as possible to avoid the water type move.

Just as this happened however, Lycanroc returned. And to my mortification- she wasn't alone. The Guildmaster followed shortly behind her, as serious and composed as ever. Heliolisk stepped out shortly behind her. Victini's quick escape was distracted by these new arrivals, and she paused, blinking owlishly at Serperior. Serperior raised an eyebrow back at her.

And then Kubo fired his attack. Victini heard it and turned towards him. "Oh NUTS!" She cried and dashed out of the way- only for the attack to hit the Guildmaster square in the face.

Everybody gasped.

Except for Victini- who simply looked around in confusion at all of our collective horror- and Mesprit. She simply stared at Serperior calculatedly. Not that I was really paying close attention to either of them- the murderous look on Serperior's face was my sole focus of attention. I could tell even without looking that Kubo was ready to bolt.

My brows furrowed in confusion, however, as Serperior turned her glare onto Mesprit for a moment, before controlling her expression again. She looked down her nose at Kubo. "It would be wise not to fight around the guild, Kubo." She said authoritatively.

Kubo nodded hastily and bowed in apology. "Of course Guildmaster! It won't happen again sir!"

Wordlessly, Serperior nodded back at him seriously, accepting of his atonement. Heliolisk looked like he was going to have an aneurysm, his expression was so stressed. He seemed completely flabbergasted by her reaction. Truthfully, I had never seen Serperior truly angry before... was it possible she had a real temper?

Reading the serious air of the scene now, Victini landed lightly on the ground, gracefully staying silent so as to not raise any more ire. She stood back as we all circled around Serperior and Heliolisk to tell them the events that transpired on our trip.

As we finished detailing the accounts of the mission, Serperior nodded stoically. "Very well done. It seems you have more than completed your mission. We can only hope the two tapu will be able to make themselves good allies to us." Despite her (relatively) pleasant tone, I could tell she was still bothered by something. Was she still bothered by Mesprit's presence? "They know the Ultra Beasts better than we do, after all," she continued casually despite her irritation, "once all four tapu are freed, we will be at a much higher advantage."

Then she turned to Lunala, and didn't seem at all uncomfortable to need to look up at her. She nodded politely. "And for you: you are free to stay here with us, Lunala. Make yourself at home."

In response, Lunala smiled shyly. But then her face dropped, and she frowned worriedly. She looked away and stared into the distance instead of meeting Serperior's eye. "I'm sorry... but I can't stay. Necrozma... he's after me, even more so now. I'm sure that he'll be able to tell that I've become a Lunala now..." she looked back down at us, nervous, afraid, and I felt my heart drop.

I had thought I had finally saved her... but she didn't feel safe with me. She was still in danger...

"I have to find a place I can hide from him... I can't burden you all with protecting me, I will only bring the danger straight to you.."

"Lunala! No, what did I just tell you!?" Mesprit snapped angrily, "you're no burden!"

"Yeah!" I cried, leaping to my feet and clenching my fists. "You're the one who brought me here, Lunala!" My eyes bored into her determinedly. "I won't abandon you!"

"That's right!" Snowflake added, standing to her feet. Kubo and Mesprit nodded in agreement as well.

I steeled my expression as Lunala looked back down at me, and I hoped she could see how serious I was. Whatever it would take to make her safe, I would do it. Even if I had to meet Necrozma head on and fight him myself- I would do it. She was my only friend who knew me, for my true self. And she believed in me, with her whole heart... She trusted. me.

I would never let that trust go to waste.

Lunala continued to watch me for a moment.. and then her expression softened. "I... I understand. But I still can't stay here."

"Then we shall go with you!" I stomped my foot seriously. "I won't ever let you be alone again! I'll protect you, it's my job after all!" I added with a small grin.

"It's OUR job," Snowflake chimed in again, leaning against my side and looking at me fondly. I smiled back, feeling a bit shy. She looked back up at Lunala. "Lunala... wherever you need to go, we'll be there. Right?" She turned her gaze to the rest of our team and I joined her.

Kubo nodded passionately, a wide, almost excited grin on his face. Sakura seemed a bit more skeptical, I knew she struggled to share my same determination... but she knew how much saving Lunala meant to me. So she nodded, smiling at me appeasingly. I smiled and nodded back. Hunter's expression was soft... I wondered what he was thinking. He didn't know Lunala... He had helped us save her, but he had never spoken to her. And yet, he seemed touched by our conversation. Perhaps he could empathize with Lunala, because he smiled up at her, and gave a solid, confident grin of his own, a small fire alighting in his eyes.

Finally, Lunala smiled gratefully at all of us, and I could see her eyes watering slightly. She turned her gaze back to me. "I... of course. I shouldn't have expected anything less."

The Guildmaster also nodded, but hers was more businesslike. "Yes. You all have proven that you are more than able to perform such a task."

"What?" Heliolisk spoke up suddenly, looking up at Serperior worriedly, "you're going to let them all go? Is that really safe?"

Serperior turned her cold gaze to him. "No place is truly safe now... but the guild will be prepared. We shall do whatever we can to not only protect our town, but others as well." Her gaze went from Heliolisk to Mesprit for a moment, and I could see a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Also, Heliolisk..." he hastily scrambled to take notes with his clipboard, "please lead the guild while I am away. I have someplace I must go as well."

He seemed inclined to protest, but he thought twice about it and nodded reluctantly. "Yes, Guildmaster. You can count on me." He stood up tall and nodded. "I'll make sure to keep our home safe."

She nodded back at him, pleased.

"You can count on me, too."

A new voice suddenly said from behind us. My team and I all jumped to our feet in shock and spun around. There stood the old Corviknight, who seemed to have alighted down from somewhere just before he spoke. He nodded at us stoically. "I will not allow that alien freak to destroy my home." He grumbled angrily and made his way past us to stand at Serperior's side. "I'm sure we can all agree on that." He said with a curious raised eyebrow. We all nodded and agreed with that.

"But-" Kubo suddenly spoke up- "where are you going, Guildmaster?" He asked curiously. She looked at him for a moment with a sharp look in her eye. He ducked his head. I could tell she wasn't still upset about him accidentally attacking her- she was upset about being questioned. It seemed she was determined to be mysterious. Instead of answering his question, she turned and made her way back into the guild.

"Heliolisk, tell the guild to get set up for protecting the town... and to pack Moss and his friends' things." She said stoically, before she disappeared through the doors. Heliolisk nodded, and he and Corviknight followed after her.

"Rrhhh... she really annoys me, sometimes..." Mesprit grumbled once the Guildmaster was gone.

"You think so, Mesprit?" Kubo asked, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant.

Mesprit opened her mouth to respond, her expression almost bratty- but then a new voice piped up.

"Um.. excuse me?"

I blinked, and turned to find Victini had moved to stand next to me, her expression a but apologetic and nervous. From what I knew of her, I was surprised to see her looking almost hesitant. She smiled and tilted her head at me. "Um... you're Moss, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's me... What's up?" I frowned.

Victini stared at me intently. "May I... join your team?" She asked rather seriously. I blinked at her. What? Seeing my confusion, she smiled apologetically and hid her hands behind her back. "See- as a Victini, I have the ability to give victory to anyone I want. I could be really useful!" She stood up tall and confident, putting her hands on her hips- yet behind her boisterous grin, I could see nervousness in her eyes. "As long as I'm here, you all will be perfectly safe!"

Confusedly, I turned to look at my friends to see what they thought. As we exchanged glances, Victini's proud stance wilted a little, but the confident expression never faltered. The only one who seemed truly against her was Kubo, who narrowed his eyes as I looked at him. He was clearly still annoyed by her teasing. I turned back to Victini and fiddled with my hands nervously.

"Well, it's true that we probably wouldn't have been able to defeat that Ultra Beast or awaken Lunala without you. We all really appreciate your help, even though you were in such a bad way yourself..." I awkwardly turned to Snowflake for support and she smiled at me. I wasn't sure why I felt so unsure about this, but I was glad Snowflake would be behind me. I turned back to Victini. "But I don't know if you know how serious this is... We could be out for a really long time, and you don't even know who we are!"

For a moment, pure shock was all that stared back at me from her eyes. She clearly had never anticipated getting turned down. "What- of course I know!" She said, flustered, "I'm not making a rash decision! I know you guys are gonna be doing a lot of work to save the world! I want to help!"

"It's not all sunshine and rainbows, you know." Sakura said, her voice gentle. It seemed she had taken my stance, but only out of concern for this new arrival. "It gets hard out there... and who knows what could happen. You might be better off getting back to your family..."

"No, no!" Victini waved her arms in frustration. "This isn't how it's supposed to go at all! I can make you guys invincible, nothing bad's gonna happen to you ever again with me there!"

I exchanged a look with my friends again. we all had pity shining in our eyes, and Victini could see that. Her frustration grew. "Hey! I'm not lying!"

"It's not that we think you're lying," I said softly, unsure of how to phrase myself, "it's just that.. I don't know if you really know what you're getting yourself into..."

"Of course I do! I was there fighting off the beast with you, wasn't I?" She put her hands on her hips again, this time with an air of indignance.

"Look guys, she's clearly got the passion for it," Kubo said suddenly, moving up to stand next to Victini. She raised an eyebrow at him as he stood up tall and put an arm around her shoulder casually. "I'd say Vivi's trustworthy. And she's not gonna be getting any rude awakenings about her abilities because, well, we're just that good! Right?" He smiled at me widely.

I was a bit surprised at his attitude. Wasn't he upset with her?

"You really think so?" Victini said excitedly, a hopeful smile growing on her face now. "I swear that saving the world will go smoother than ever with me there! Just like with that beast that kidnapped me! It just wanted to use my powers- but I want to use my powers against them instead! You see that, don't you? We'll save the whole world!"

Still a bit hesitant, I watched for Kubo's reaction. He simply smiled back at her. "Sure, I think you could be a great help. Even when injured you helped turn the tides for us. And I'm sure we'll get along great!" He turned to me, continuing to smile innocently. "Don't you think so too?"

I hummed. I supposed that it couldn't be too bad... "As long as you're not leaving anybody behind by coming with us..." I said slowly.

Victini frowned sadly and her ears drooped a little. "Well, I did used to live with others of my species..." She looked away shyly, but remained in Kubo's strange hold. "I.. I just don't know where they are since those beasts kidnapped me... We're nomadic, you see..."

But then that fire lit up in her eyes again and she looked back up to me. "But no matter where they are, they're in danger! Those beasts won't be satisfied with losing me! They'll surely attack my friends and family again! I need to help you, I just gotta!"

I felt a little shocked at her conviction. I didn't think she had been taking this very seriously at all. She seemed to think saving the world was just some fun adventure. And maybe she still did... but it was clear, at least, that she knew that we were doing this for more than just glory. That made me feel a bit more confident. I smiled at her and nodded. "Okay."

"YES! Woo-hoo!" She jumped up and down in her excitement, bringing Kubo with her.

"Hey, hey!" Kubo protested, finally managing to pull himself away from her in her excited hopping. He pointed at her and grinned mischievously. "Yeah, sure you can join- only on the condition that the next time you see the Guildmaster, YOU'RE the one sending a fireball at her!"

Ah.. now that would explain his odd behaviour. He did all that just for a little payback?

"Kubo!" Snowflake snapped. "You shall make her do no such thing!"

"What?" He cried back, stomping his foot. "Why noooooot!?"

As Snowflake and Kubo bickered, Victini simply watched. Her excitement at being allowed to join still hadn't faded. As she giggled at their argument, Sakura stepped up to her side. Victini frowned and turned to her, tilting her head. "Hm? What's up?" She asked curiously.

Sakura didn't reply for a moment, and only looked back at her sadly. Then, a soft smile graced her face. "Don't worry. Once we're done, we'll help you find your family. I'm sure you'll find them." She said softly.

Victini smiled a little. "Thanks... I'm sure we will," she said brightly. Sakura continued to smile at her upon hearing that, but a part of me knew it was difficult for her to be very optimistic. Still, I was grateful that she was at least trying to be more positive.

"Now that she's on the team, I hope you don't expect to be leaving me behind again either!" Mesprit huffed, interrupting Kubo and Snowflake's bickering and drawing everyone's attention. She flew up into the air a little and put her hands on her hips. "Okay?"

"Of course not!" Kubo assured her, "after all, you can fly again!"

"That's right!" Mesprit huffed, "I finally got the ability back. It was so hard and took me a long time..." she flipped herself upside down in order to show off her skill. I gasped. She ignored my concerned reaction and continued, "but now that I can fly again, I can finally go with you!" She did a flip in the air with a flourish, and ended up right-side up again.

"But- wait..." Snowflake cut in worriedly. We all turned to her curiously and she bowed her head a little. "Now that you're healthy, wouldn't you have to get back to your lake? I mean, you have your precious stone there to protect... You're it's guardian," She frowned and tilted her head, "can you really afford to come with us?"

That made Mesprit pause. It was clear that she hadn't actually thought of that, I realized in slight amusement. "Well, yes, I do have to protect it, especially in times like these..." She hummed softly to herself. "However... I think it would be best if we take it with us."

"What?" I gasped, "isn't that dangerous?"

She nodded, and began playing with her hands thoughtfully. "Yes, it would be risky... but I think it would be much safer if it- and I- could come with you." Following her words, we all looked at leach other nervously. Victini appeared confused, but we hadn't the time to tell her about the Lunar Stone that Mesprit guarded. Upon seeing the unease and indecision on our faces, however, Mesprit tried to smile encouragingly. "But! Ah- it's also able to boost certain abilities and powers. It could be useful to us too!"

"I.. I suppose..." Lunala spoke up hesitantly. "But are you sure, Mesprit? They're already after me... I wouldn't want to put it in unnecessary danger.."

"Well, as far as I see it," Mesprit said, crossing her arms and pouting, "as strong as I am, you saw how injured I got trying to fend them off! I think it'd be safer with all of us working together to protect it..."

Lunala's expression softened, "I see... you all will be there to keep me safe.. and we will be there to protect you in turn." She said gently.

Mesprit blushed in embarrassment. "Not like I really need all that much protecting!"

"Sure," Sakura grinned teasingly, making Mesprit pout at her in particular.

Kubo frowned at the both of them, and piped up confidently. "Sounds like a plan to me! I guess the Misty Valley would be our first destination, then!" He smiled determinedly. Despite her grumpiness, Mesprit seemed encouraged by that, and grinned at him. She flew over to him and hovered in front of him, oddly close. Kubo flushed in confusion.

Mesprit giggled. "That's right, I forgot to give you something..." She hummed, and kissed him shortly on the cheek. "Thank you for the flowers~" She sang happily.

I didn't know Kubo's face could get so red. Wasn't he usually blue?

Mesprit laughed, circling around above his head playfully.

Sakura and Victini laughed along with Mesprit, and Snowflake cracked a small grin, looking over at me with a roll of her eyes. I frowned confusedly. What was all that about? Seeing my confusion, Snowflake began to laugh as well. I huffed and crossed my arms. What was so funny anyway?

In the end, we all agreed that it was best we leave sooner rather than later. Luckily for us, Lycanroc and a few other guildmembers emerged from the front gates to hand us our things, which we had left in our guild room; along with other gear and supplies we would need for the long journey. I found a lot of food along with our things, which I thanked them gratefully for. Each of us had a bag we needed to carry, and I looked around at everyone as we prepared ourselves for our journey.

Kubo seemed relatively motivated as always, as did Victini. The fire-type was jumping excitedly, and while I found her enthusiasm a bit naive, I could tell she was keeping the mood up for the rest of us. Snowflake had a soft, nostalgic look in her eyes as she gazed up at the guild, and Sakura was keeping a smile on her face as well, seemingly just happy to have Mesprit coming with us now too.

Hunter, however, seemed fairly despondent at the idea of leaving. I knew world-saving wasn't exactly his first choice, for what he wanted to do with his life. He had only just gotten a family and place to stay... and now we were going to be leaving it behind. Not to mention how much danger we could be walking into... I supposed that that explained why he had been so quiet during this entire exchange.

I myself hadn't really slowed down enough to really think about everything. All I had really thought about was keeping Lunala safe... A part of me didn't want to have to drag my friends with me if they didn't want to come... I walked over to him and placed a hand on his head, as had become rather familiar to me lately. He looked up at me blankly, trying to hide the anxiety in his eyes. I smiled softly.

"You know... you don't have to come with us, if you don't want to..."

His eyes went wide. "What!? Are you kidding me?" His shock quickly turned to indignation. "And do what? Wait around here worrying about what's happening to all of you? What if something happens where you would've needed me?" He glared at me as if I was being ridiculous. I was shocked.

"I- I just didn't think you seemed... very happy about all of this." I stammered.

"Of course I'm not happy about it!" he huffed, "but if you think I'm going to let you go off and leave me behind, then you have another thing coming! If something happens, I want to be there!"

I blinked at him incredulously for a moment, before a small smile grew on my face. "Hey, I getcha, dude... We're in this together, no matter what it is."

"That's right," he grumbled, frowning at me offendedly. I couldn't help but smile back at him, though. Even though he was scared... he was more afraid of something happening to us. It made me happy to know that.

"Alright... it would be best that we don't linger here for much longer." Lunala said urgently, once everyone was properly set up. "Let's go!" She cried, lowering herself and her wings to the ground so we could all climb aboard.

We all climbed on, and as we settled properly upon her back, Heliolisk emerged from the guild, along with Corviknight. They waved up to us, wanting to see us off. "Take care!" Heliolisk said, "please be careful, the lot of you!" He smiled a bit anxiously. Kubo, Snowflake and I all nodded affirmingly back at him, as the rest of our team gave them a few little waves. Corviknight didn't say a thing, but I could see a serious look shining in his eye.

The Guildmaster, however, was nowhere to be seen. I wondered where she had gone off to. had she really left the guild already?

"Good luck guys! We'll see you soon, I hope!" Lycanroc called from the front gate, waving up at us. We waved at her too, and with that Lunala shot up into the sky, throwing the few of us back in our surprise, but we managed to hold on tight.

The morning had fully arrived, and now that the sun was high in the air, I wondered if Lunala would be easy to spot now. I looked out across the vast wilderness that spread out below us, and turned back for a moment to see the guild, and the town, slowly falling away into the distance. Snowflake saw me looking back, and shifted closer to my side. I looked up at her, and smiled reassuringly. My family was here with me... with them here, we would be okay.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder what adventures awaited us. We were on our way to Mesprit's lake and the Lunar Stone, but beyond that, who knows? We still had two tapu to free... I leaned against Snowflake and stared out at the mountainous world around us. I knew sooner or later, things would sort themselves out. They had to...

\---

It was a few hour's later that we landed down next to the destroyed castle that used to be Mesprit's home. Lunala had let us down by the water, but Mesprit told us to wait on the beach. To my surprise, she flew into the lake, leaving us to wait and look around the small island. I had expected the stone to be inside the castle. But maybe it was safer in whatever underwater cavern she had stowed it... I took the moment to see how different things were now.

It was sunnier out this time, but there was still a thin layer of fog resting over the lake. It was difficult to see through it to the mainland. The broken castle was, of course, not in any better shape. It looked a bit older now, with moss and vines growing through a lot more of the cracks of grey, broken brick.

Victini hummed, looking around curiously. "So this is where Mesprit is from? Doesn't seem like a very nice place." She said frankly.

Sakura frowned at her, baring her small fangs in irritation. "It was destroyed! By those Ultra Beasts! It used to be a really tall and beautiful castle! I used to live within this valley, before the beasts came..." She wilted a bit sadly.

"Oh. Like Tapu Lele's place?" Victini tilted her head. Sakura frowned at her for a moment, before nodding quietly. "Okay... well, that makes sense then. It's a shame I didn't get to see it when it was pretty!" She sighed pityingly. I could see confusion in Sakura's face, clearly unsure of whether this response made her feel better or not. In the end, she chose not to be offended on the behalf of the destroyed castle, and stepped up to me instead.

"This place... if feels strange to be back here again," she murmured softly. I nodded.

"Yeah... it feels like ages ago.. and so much has changed."

"And yet so little time has passed," Sakura turned to Lunala as she rested along the beach, "I'm glad that we were able to save her in the end... I remember how scared and upset you were." Sakura turned back to me and frowned up at me. I peered back down at her, confused at where she was going with this. She smiled apologetically. "I... I'm sorry I was so pessimistic."

I blinked. I had forgotten she had even been that way... and I told her as such. "You don't have to still worry about that... we saved Lunala, and that's all that matters to me."

"Right..." Sakura smiled softly in return.

It was then that Mesprit emerged from the water, her hands closed around something. There were small streams of light shining out from between her fingers.

"Woah!" Kubo gasped and rushed up to her. "Is that it? Can we see?" He asked energetically. Mesprit grinned and nodded, lowering down to sit on the ground so we all could crowd around her. Even Lunala drew closer, wrapping her wings over all of us as we gathered together. She peered down curiously. We all stared in amazement as Mesprit opened her hands.

Sat there in her palms, was a small, pearly white opalescent stone. It shone with its own light, white and twinkling. It was perfectly spherical, and well-polished. There certainly was some kind of mystical air to it...

"It's beautiful..." Sakura murmured.

Mesprit grinned playfully. "Yup! It's a real beaut!" She raised it up and turned it over in her hands. "I never really get to even see it... See, I hid it in the lakebed instead of the castle cause I thought it'd be less obvious. Nobody's gonna dig through the dirt for an all-powerful stone!"

"Oh, cool...!" Kubo grinned, his eyes sparkling with admiration. "That's so clever! It seems that it worked, since the castle got destroyed, but the stone was still safe."

"Mmhmm," Mesprit smiled brightly, "and now it'll be extra safe with us!"

Snowflake hummed at that, and eyed the stone curiously. "So... you said it would boost some abilities and powers. Like what? Because, I can feel some kind of energy flowing from it... It's soothing." She said, looking up at Mesprit.

Kubo nodded. "Me too! Does anybody else?" He looked at the rest of expectantly. Hunter voiced his agreement, and Lunala nodded wordlessly. But I found myself confused. What were they talking about? Sure, I could see the light that emanated from it, and it seemed to have some kind of energy within it.. but nothing I could really sense.

Mesprit hummed and turned the stone over in her hands. "Well, the moon has certain impacts on the world. It moves the tides, and it rules over the darkness and cold of night. There are certain powers that come from the dark... An ice type like you- Snowflake- or a water, dark, or ghost type like Kubo, Hunter and Lunala, would all have the moon and the night to thank for the strength of your powers."

We all listened intently as she spoke, and I wondered what other types would be impacted... not a grass type like me, huh...

"That sounds like a lot of us get helped by it," Hunter said cautiously, "I guess it really will be useful." Mesprit nodded.

"Here!" Kubo pulled a small handbag from his pack and held it up to Mesprit. "We'll keep it safe in here!"

"Good idea," she smiled at him softly. Gently, she slipped it into the bag, and Kubo tied the opening shut. He gave it to her and she placed it cautiously into her own pack, her hands brushing against his as he handed it over. He blushed slightly at the touch, not noticing the small grin threatening to break through her calm expression.

"Now that we have this, we'll be even stronger! We'll be unstoppable!" She said proudly, flying up a little to put one hand on her hip. and thrust the other into the air over her head.

"YEAH!" We all cheered together.

\---

We traveled farther and farther from our home in the mountainside. We passed many mountains, though we went in the opposite direction from the way Corviknight had taken us, to bring us to Tapu Lele. This time, we were on our way to Tapu Bulu.

Initially I had been uneasy at the idea of going to save Tapu Bulu right away. Mainly because Lunala had said it was important that she hide- going straight to one of the portals didn't seem like a very safe place for her. However she had protested, saying that she wouldn't let us be impeded from our goal on her behalf. She would be safer with us anyway, that was already proven clear... not to mention she'd be much safer with these last two portals shut.

Still, I wasn't so sure... I didn't want anything to happen. But she was right, and without her we wouldn't be able to save the tapu's from their stone prison anyway, so there was no way I could protest. I could only hope things went well...

We travelled farther and farther, taking occasional stops so we could inspect the map again. Many hills, villages and lakes passed us by as we flew. But we never stopped anywhere for very long. A few days came and went, and in the evening we needed to find a secure enough place to hide Lunala. She was huge, so it wasn't easy.

But we would all huddle together to keep warm, and something about it was comforting. I knew that none of us were happy about our current situation... needing to camp out every night, and not having a secure roof over our heads, it wasn't easy. Yet it gave me comfort to know we were all in this together, that we were there for each other, that none of us would go hungry or cold because we would make sure we were all safe.

Even Victini- who was so new to our group- was cheerfully willing to help us; teaching us about how one can comfortably live a nomadic life. She was already more helpful than I expected...

It was three days after we set off from Mesprit's lake. We were flying over a jungle, making our way ever closer to the volcano that Tapu Bulu resided. We would reach the volcano today, the landmarks said we were close enough. But then Mesprit peered down and noticed something, "Wait! Wait- wait- Lunala! Stop for a second!" She cried, flying back and hovering in the air, looking down at the jungle below.

Lunala's sudden stop threatened to throw us off- but we managed to hold fast. She turned to Mesprit worriedly, "huh? What is it? What's wrong?" Slowly, she glided back over to her.

"Look!" Mesprit called, pointing down into the trees.

We followed her gaze, and noticed a group of pokemon- it was small, about the same number of pokemon as our own. They were all sitting in a bunch, clearly discussing something. From up here, there was nothing extraordinary about the small gathering of pokemon. Snowflake turned and frowned at Mesprit. "What about them?" She said, asking what we were all thinking.

Mesprit shook her head. "We need to help them... they're all in horrible pain- the sadness and grief that I can feel from them... i could sense it even from up here!"

"Really..?" Lunala frowned worriedly, "well... what could we do?" She asked sadly. Lunala didn't seem confident in our ability to aid them...

"We can at least hear them out!" Mesprit huffed in annoyance. But beneath her peeved expression, I could see genuine concern for these pokemon in her eyes. I had no idea what she could be sensing, and why it would be so important... but if she thought this was serious, I was going to listen.

"Then let's go," I said seriously, breaking the silence. Mesprit nodded, and guided us down to the ground.

As we drew closer, some of the pokemon spotted Lunala, and cried out in shock. The few that had been back-facing us jumped and spun around to see what was approaching. They screeched fearfully and scrambled back. I could understand being afraid of such a large and frightful pokemon descending upon them, but there seemed to be panic in their eyes as well. They wholeheartedly expected Lunala to hurt them... I looked to her and saw pain in her eyes. She was hurt by their fear...

They all leapt to their feet, facing us defensively. Despite their preparations to attack, I could tell they had little hopes of standing a chance.

I couldn't allow them to start a fight... we were here to help! I climbed up on Lunala's head and waved down at them with my paws above my head. "Heeeey! Up heeere!" I called to them. The group, alarmed and confused at the little pokemon sat atop this monster's head, loosened their fighting stance as they looked up at me.

I could see them clearly now from my perch on Lunala's head. They were a group of five- and they appeared to be a Lilligant, a Steenee, a Hattrem, a Mudkip... and a regular, fire-type Vulpix. I found myself staring at the Vulpix as I called down to them again. "We're no threat to you! Our friend here just happens to be really big!" I said, trying to smile disarmingly.

They did not attack as Lunala landed on the ground. She lowered her wings to the ground and the group of pokemon watched in shock as each of us dismounted. They were clearly amazed (and a bit uneasy) at how many of us there were. Finally, I climbed down Lunala's face as she lowered it to the ground, and I smiled up at her softly. She smiled back. I could tell she was grateful for my help.

Mesprit flew in a circle above our heads for a moment, before coming down to hover at my side. "Greetings! I could sense your peril and we decided to come help!" Mesprit said with an emphatic gesture of throwing her arms into the air.

The Lillgant stepped forwards, and I could tell by the defensive way she opened her arms to shield her friends, that she was the leader of them. She eyed us suspiciously. "Why should we trust you..? Your friend is awfully..." her gaze roved to Lunala nervously, "...beastly."

Lunala wilted slightly in disappointment. I frowned, anger seizing me for a moment as I felt the need to defend my friend. My fists clenched. "She's not a beast..." I grumbled darkly, my eyes locked on the grass. Seeing my frustration, Snowflake stepped up next to me and Mesprit- moving in front of us. Seeing her approach, Lilligant's stance grew even more defensive- until Snowflake held something up in her paw.

It was our Guild badge. "See this? We're members of the Serperior Guild! We're an exploration team, and it's our job to help pokemon in trouble, like you!" She said gently.

Kubo nodded from somewhere behind us. "Yup! Like Mesprit and Snowflake said, we're all here to help!" He said proudly.

Lilligant looked back at her friends, and the lot of them exchanged worried glances... before they all relaxed somewhat. Rather than fear, exhaustion and sadness grew in Lilligant's expression instead. "I'm sorry we suspected you, and your friend... We were... attacked earlier." She said softly, her gaze dropping to the ground as she played with her leafy hands anxiously.

"Attacked?" Mesprit parroted. Lilligant nodded.

"Yes... by a beast. It was huge, and... after what happened with us- with our home- we're just really on edge right now about any large, unknown..." her eye flickered up to Lunala, "...creatures. We're sorry we were suspicious of you.." As she finished speaking, her gaze dropped again, but this time she dipped her head, bowing apologetically. Seeing this, her friends followed suit and bowed along with her.

I felt my anger fade. Lunala still seemed saddened by this, but I knew she felt the same way I did. These pokemon... they had been hurt by an Ultra Beast. It wasn't their fault that they needed to be more on edge... I shouldn't blame them for their fear. I smiled at them softly, and waved my hands to get their attention. They raised their bowed heads curiously. "It's alright... You were smart to be on guard. But what happened to you guys? Can you tell us?"

Lilligant hesitated. Seeing her pause, the others of her group exchanged worried glances. The mudkip shied away and hid behind Lilligant fearfully. The steenee sighed and stepped forward, leaning on Lilligant's arm. She spoke softly in her young voice. "We come from a village, that's deeper into the Eastern Jungle. It was suddenly attacked by a number of giant, raving beasts..." Steenee whimpered and her voice trained off.

Hattrem spoke up for her, a brave expression on her face. "Those things- there were at least five of them. and they were huge, towering over us- and they ate everything around them. Absolutely anything!"

"That's right!" The vulpix suddenly spoke up, making me jolt and turn to him. His deep brown eyes were the same shape as Snowflake's. I couldn't help but find that curious... "It was like some sorta black hole!" He said seriously. "It ate everything! Houses, trees- dirt, even! It was just a giant mess of mouths"

"It's a wonder we even got out of there..." Hattrem said grimly.

For a moment following their words, we all paused and sat in silence. Hunter looked around anxiously his ears twisting in search of the sounds of a distant rampage. Victini and Kubo looked around too, searching for a sign of the beasts. But we heard nothing. Who knew how far away this group must've ran...

I didn't hear anything either, but I neglected to look around the jungle as my eyes were still curiously stuck to the vulpix, his head held high and proud despite the terror and tragedy he had surely just witnessed. It made me turn to look at Snowflake, still standing a little ahead of me. I wondered what she thought of him...

The tense silence was broken very suddenly by Victini's light and unserious voice. "Giant black hole monsters? Really?" She asked skeptically.

I could see small licks of smoke snort out of Vulpix's nose as she said that. The rest of the group likewise bristled angrily, but it was Vulpix who spoke up first. "You don't believe us?" He growled and his lip twitched. "Why would we lie about something like this! If you think we're lying- go there and see for yourself!" He snapped, flames igniting between his teeth as he spoke.

Snowflake took another step forward, her head bowed a bit apologetically. "Excuse me- I'm sorry for her, she's a bit... well- can you tell us more about this beast? We want to help you and your village, but we need to know what we're up against..." She asked politely, hoping to distract them away from Victini's tactless words.

Vulpix pouted back at her, but his incensed expression had faded. In fact, he began to gaze at Snowflake with intrigue. Why would that be... But as he didn't speak up, Steenee nervously mumbled instead. "Uhm... more about them.. like what?" She asked.

"Well," Snowflake hummed softly, "like, what colours did it have? What kind of body did it have, besides its... mouth? Do you remember?"

"Hm..." Steenee worriedly looked down, and I could tell the memory was painful to recall. She opened her mouth to reply, but then shied back and hid her head in Lilligant's shoulder. Lilligant wrapped an arm around her to comfort her. From my side, I could see Mesprit flinch slightly. Could she feel their pain...?

"I can tell you," Vulpix said stoically, his eyes fiery and determined. "It was mostly black, but it had yellow parts too... it's teeth were yellow, I think. It had mouths everywhere- on its hands, on its body... I don't think it even had room for a stomach. It had a tail too... and glowing eyes." He finished grimly.

"Ah..." Lunala spoke up for the first time since we had landed. Her voice made them jump minutely. "I think I know which Ultra Beast you speak of...."

"Huh? You... you do?" Lilligant asked incredulously. "What are they?"

"The species is known as Guzzlord. It's a dark, dragon-type Ultra Beast." Lunala said softly, an apologetic look in her eyes, as if simply knowing of this beast's existence was regrettable. "Its constant hunger causes it to eat anything in its path. Its hunger is.. insatiable. It's one of the largest and most powerful Ultra Beasts- defeating just one would be difficult enough.. but with so many of them...?" She trailed off anxiously.

I didn't know how to reply to that. I too didn't know how we were going to be able to defeat these creatures- these Guzzlords. Snowflake turned back to me nervously, eyeing me in concern. I bit my lip and shrugged at her gently.

I couldn't help but wonder how many places were being ravaged by these Ultra Beasts... We had never gone out of our way to seek them out and defeat them before. It was always them being drawn to me, or drawn to Lunala... but so many pokemon were probably struggling with attacks like this. We just happened to come across this group. How were we going to help everyone? All we could do was close their doors into this world. Would that be enough?

I suddenly felt an arm slung over my shoulder, startling me from my thoughts. I turned and saw Kubo grinning at me with determination in his eyes. "Don't worry guys! I know we can handle them, we just gotta come up with a plan."

"But we've been trying to come up with a plan the whole time we've been hiding here in the forest!" Hattrem said defeatedly. Kubo let go of me and hopped up next to Snowflake, putting his hands on his hips.

"But you didn't have all the facts! Lunala!" He pointed at her suddenly. She jumped and yelped softly in surprise.

"Y-yes?" She asked nervously.

He smirked confidently. "You said they're dark and dragon types, right?"

She furrowed her brow confusedly and nodded, "yes..."

I gasped in realization. I knew exactly what Kubo was thinking. "So we know how to take them down! All we need to do is hit them with the right stuff, and knock them out- or at least scare them off!"

"Exactly," Kubo said, nodding at me and crossing his arms seriously. "Snowflake is an ice-type, and I know an ice move I could use too. Ice is great against dragon-types."

"Hmmm..." Lilligant considered our plan, brining her leafy hand to her chin. "If that's the case, most of us wouldn't be of much help..." At her words, Vulpix scowled knowingly, frustrated at the idea that his moves wouldn't be much help.

Hattrem, however, held herself up higher on her hair. "I could help with my fairy moves, though! That would be a huge weak point for them!"

Lunala nodded gently. "Fairy moves would be exceptional against them. But... I don't believe most of us know any moves like that. And as ghost and psychic type myself, I would only hold us back..." She frowned at the thought of being a burden to us.

I couldn't stand to see her feeling like that. "You've already helped plenty, Lunala..." I said intently.

She peered back down at me softly, and smiled despite her anxieties. "Well, I suppose there is one more thing I could do for you all..." Everyone else all looked up at her together with curiosity in their eyes. She ducked her head shyly at our attention but managed to continue. "I have the ability to open small ultra wormholes, for a short period of time. Since I won't be able to really fight, maybe... if you could weaken them enough, we could force them back into the worlds they came from..."

I gasped. Of course! She had been the one to bring me here, so those powers could be useful in getting rid of the beasts. I nodded energetically. "That sounds great!"

"Now all we have to do is defeat them..." Hunter said softly, discomfort obvious in his voice. He didn't seem very confident about our odds.

Lilligant frowned... she cleared her throat to draw our attention again. "Hey, you... you mentioned that- most of us might not have helpful moves." Lunala nodded at that and she brightened up a little. "Well! uhm.. maybe we can help you with that," she said, and then stepped aside in one swift motion to reveal the little mudkip who had been hiding behind her the entire time.

Mudkip flinched at the attention suddenly being on him, and curled up tighter around a bag that he seemed to be in possession of. Lilligant smiled gently down at him. "Mudkip, would you please supply us with the TM's?"

Mudkip blinked owlishly up at her, before slowly nodding. "Okay, miss..." he pried himself away from the bag and began unfastening it. I frowned and stepped closer with my friends at my side as Mudkip pulled out a wooden box and handed up up to Lilligant. TM's? What did that mean...

Lilligant opened the box and tilted it down for us to see. "See? We managed to salvage many from the village.." She said softly. I looked down and... found a number of CD's within the box. Or- they looked like CD's... I was flabbergasted.

TM's were actual technology? I felt my mind race. I didn't think this world had tech like that. What did they do? Did these pokemon have a video player with them too? How much were they going to blow my mind today...

"Oh! This will be great!" Sakura cried excitedly. She quickly reached in with her tail and pulled out some ice and fairy type moves. "Now we'll all have useful moves to use," she smirked, handing a dazzling gleam to Snowflake and keeping a blizzard for herself. I just stood back and watched in amazement as they learnt their moves, Kubo sorting through the box for something he could learn too.

"I don't think I can learn anything helpful," Hunter mumbled, and I turned to him. He pouted at me worriedly. "Will I be any help?"

I smiled reassuringly. "You're always lots of help- with your illusions ability we'll be able keep them distracted."

"Right, right..." he grumbled again.

"And with the help of MY ability, you'll be invincible!" Victini cheered suddenly, flying up behind us and wrapping an arm around my shoulder excitedly. "We're an unstoppable team!"

"Y-yeah," I smiled uneasily, "I don't think I can learn any ice or fairy moves either, though..."

"Oh! that'll be no problem at all, dude!" Kubo said suddenly, walking up to me and pressing a fighting-type move into my hand. I blinked down at it stupidly. Brick break... Kubo smirked. "Fighting moves'll hit them pretty hard too! So let's not slack off!" I looked back up at him and nodded a bit awkwardly. How was I going to learn this..? But before I could ask him, he turned and walked back to the box to rifle through it, helping the group of pokemon to find moves they could use as well. Having extra pokemon here to help us would be a big help.

I looked down at the TM in my hands, completely stumped about what to do. Confused at my hesitation, Hunter and Victini stared at me.

Mesprit flew up above our heads and looked off into the distance. I distracted myself from my conundrum to watch her curiously. She hummed thoughtfully and tapped her chin. I wondered if she could feel the location of the Guzzlord somehow? She nodded resolutely to herself before she turned and flew back to us. She frowned at me. "I'm not sure I will be able to be of much use either... They are part dark-type, so I'd be weak to them..." I frowned worriedly at that. She had only just gotten better after all, we didn't want her getting hurt...

"True, but you won't be totally defenseless," Hunter said with a weak smile, "I'm sure you could learn something..."

"You think..?" She smiled softly and wrung her hands, "I guess I could look." She flew over to Snowflake, Sakura, Kubo and Lilligant to see for herself. As she hovered over Kubo's head, he looked up at her and blushed slightly. Still, he controlled himself enough to look back down and pick up an ice beam and dazzling gleam to hand up to her.

"I have a feeling these would suit you," he said shyly. Mesprit took them gratefully.

"Thank you..." She hummed thoughtfully before flying down to hug him. He froze in shock and stuck his arms out almost as if alarmed. Vulpix snickered at his shock and Snowflake couldn't help but giggle a little as well. As Mesprit pulled away, she completely ignored the amused pokemon, only focusing on Kubo. "I think these would be great help for defending myself." She said happily, before turning and flying off to learn them.

Vulpix grinned at Snowflake as Mesprit left. "It seems to me like you might be the best bet out there," he said smoothly. Snowflake tilted her head curiously. I felt a frown form between my eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Snowflake asked.

Vulpix grinned. "Well, you're an ice type! There's no real fairy type in your team, so you'll be hitting them the hardest with your moves! Plus you seem pretty powerful to me."

"I suppose that's true..." Snowflake hummed thoughtfully, "and- thank you... but I don't know, we all have our strengths."

I narrowed my eyes at them and huffed softly to myself. Why was I so bothered to see him talking to her? I wasn't sure, but it made my blood boil. Snowflakes reaction seemed to discourage Vulpix from continuing his compliments, which made me let out a sigh of relief. Now that they weren't talking and distracting me, I could focus back on my own problem...

Preparations were getting close to ending, and I knew I would soon need to figure out how to learn the brick break TM that I still held in my hands. I wasn't willing to embarrass myself by asking for help, though...

"Do you have enough supplies for this?" Hunter asked me. Ah! A perfect distraction. I placed the TM into my bag as I opened it to look through what I had. There were plenty of reviver seeds and even a luminous orb... although I wondered if a flash of light would even slow the beasts down at all.

"I have enough for me, I think," I said slowly, "but I think after this fight we're going to need to restock."

Hunter nodded, "I think so too."

It was a few moments later that we were climbing back on Lunala's back, to make our way towards the beasts, and the village that they ravaged. Mesprit did a few loops in the air in front of Lunala's head, ready to guide us. I had been right, and she did in fact know where we were off to. She could sense the fear growing larger.

Lilligant and her group crowded around Lunala to see us off. She had ultimately decided that since only one of them- that being Hattrem- would be of any real help, that they should stay behind. I understood that... we were an official exploration team, they were just civilians. They shouldn't be participating in the fighting.

I looked down over her shoulder to see Lilligant waving with a hopeful smile. Hattrem had her arms crossed, disappointed at not getting to come help. Steenee held Mudkip in her hands, the two of them eyeing us worriedly. I could tell they were concerned about us going to fight such monsters. Vulpix, however, was completely fuming. His tails were bristled angrily at the idea of not getting to come. The vicious snarl on his face could scare the Guzzlord away all on it's own.

"Good luck!" Lilligant called, waving with one arm and holding the other to her chest. "Please be careful!"

"We will!" I called back, holding myself up on a paw so I could wave back with the other. "Thank you for your help! You're all very kind!"

She smiled earnestly, but I could see genuine concern in her eyes as well. "Please.. save our home.." she pleaded.

"Will do!" Victini suddenly chimed in excitedly, jumping up on my head. "Now let's go alreadyyyyy!"

\---

We didn't need to follow Mesprit's direction long before we found them. Sunset was already descending over us as we travelled, but it only took a few minutes before we started hearing loud roars from the distance. Lunala was flying just above the trees, so we couldn't exactly see them yet. "We're getting closer!" Mesprit announced, falling back to grip onto Lunala's back with the rest of us. "That way!" She pointed out before us. This way Lunala could go at her full speed.

"Alright, hold on!" Lunala said, reaching her large crescent wings all the way up and bringing them down in one heavy SWOOOOSH! We shot forwards, moving much faster now. The roars were getting louder. The dark black shadows that stretched across the ground from the trees made it hard to see what it was we were looking for. But there was no denying it now.

As we came closer, we could hear the sounds of pokemon screaming in terror first. From my side, I could feel Victini stiffen. The rest of us were already prepared to hear such sounds. Then we could hear the crunching of tree bark, and the sounds of loud metal screeching. It almost sounded like bulldozers, screeching and clanging as the metal teeth crashed together.

Then finally, we could see them. Lunala came up upon the scene, raising her wings up and spreading them wide, so as to smoothly drive us to a stop. She flew there in the air, looking down in horror at the scene below. The area before us may have once been a town integrated closely with the foliage of the jungle, but now the trees were uprooted, the houses smashed, and most of the debris was missing. most likely all that was missing had been swallowed up in the huge gaping maws of the Guzzlord. There were indeed five of them, and the insides of their mouths glowed like the bed of an incinerator. Even their eyes shone through the darkness of the evening with a sinister light.

I couldn't believe my eyes. These beasts were ginormous, equal in size to the exotic trees that surrounded them. Besides the Ultra Beast that had attempted to kidnap us along with Hunter, I had never seen a beast this big. The path of destruction they left in their wake looked nothing more than a pure deforestation. The horrified screams of the pokemon told us that many had already lost their homes...

And perhaps more..

"A-alright guys! It's time to stop them!" Victini cried, jolting me out of my thoughts. She was back to her old energetic ways, even though she still seemed shaken by what she saw- and heard. I shook my head to rid myself of my morbid thoughts and turned to her.

"Right. Hunter!" I called to him, making him yelp, "make sure Lunala and the rest of us are invisible to their eyes. We don't need them catching us in those claws."

"Y-yes, of course!" He nodded, his startled expression fading into one of pure determination. It seemed this carnage inspired something other than fear in him. His eyes flashed, and a slight haziness hovered over us. The illusion was in place.

Seeing this, Lunala began descending towards the ground- letting us off and into the bushes of the jungle that the Guzzlord had yet to reach. She smiled hesitantly down at us as we stepped down into the grass. "Good luck.. I shall prepare to form Ultra Wormholes once you've gained control over the situation... I- I hope I can be of help."

"Thank you," I replied with an easy smile, and with that Lunala flew off into the sky.

We arranged ourselves with the heavy hitters to the front and the more supportive individuals to the back. Victini was annoyed at being left in the back with me and Hunter, but it didn't dampen her enthusiasm much. Kubo, Snowflake, and Sakura were in the front, whilst Mesprit and I were behind them, with Hunter and Victini in the furthest behind us.

"Okay... we're good to go.. now what?" Hunter asked with a nervous tilt of his head.

"Now... we attack!" Kubo announced, pointing out in front of us towards the towering beasts.

We leapt out of the bushes and raced towards them. They towered high over our heads. Snowflake started the attack, shooting an ice beam directly at the leg of the nearest Guzzlord. It didn't expect the attack and roared in confusion and pain as Kubo and Snowflake joined her in using their ice attacks. Mesprit flew up higher above us and flashed brightly, illuminating the area with her dazzling gleam. the Guzzlord shrieked in anger and turned to us. It could not see us, but I could tell it would be determined to destroy everything in its path towards us.

Hearing its rageful cries, the other four Guzzlord turned towards it and began moving towards us as well. If we were to survive these things, we'd need to stay out of their way.

"We should split up and confuse them! If they don't know where to direct their attacks they won't be able to get us!" I cried.

"Right," Snowflake nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the Guzzlord. She immediately dung her heels into the ground to run off in the other direction, before Victini shot out and grabbed onto her tails.

"Waaaaait! You guys need my power-up before you go!" She implored Snowflake.

Snowflake blinked at her in shock. "What are you doing?! We can't afford to wait- gaah!" Her protest was interrupted by the nearest Ultra Beast stomping its foot down much closer to us, sending a shockwave about the area that threw us off our feet. We all cried out in shock as we were thrown to the ground.

"Ugh..." Victini groaned, her arms still gripping onto Snowflakes tails. She lifted her head and shook the dizziness away. She looked up and gasped, "look out!"

At her call we all looked up in time to scramble out of the way, as the Guzzlord reached down towards our general area, scooping up a claw-full of dirt and shoveling it into its gaping mouth.

"We don't have time for your games, Victini, we need to go now!" Snowflake yelled, "just come with me!" She continued, flicking her tails up so the small fire-type would be flung onto her back. With that, she ran off to the left, and the rest of us made our ways around in hopes of confusing the Guzzlord from figuring out where to attack.

From her new position, I could see an ice beam shoot out at the Guzzlord. Seeing this, I turned to Kubo and told him to attack as well. He shot another ice beam at them from the right, and I could see the group of Ultra Beasts become confused in their intended targets. Thanks to Hunter's illusion they still couldn't see us. Hopefully nobody would get hit and we wouldn't need to ever worry about getting caught.

However the beast closest to us roared loudly again and let out a suddenly pulse of dark energy that erupted from its body and swept out across the area. The Guzzlord clearly didn't care about hitting its friends, as the dark pulse hit them as well as us. They growled and flinched as it hit, but I barely noticed, as I was knocked from my feet and thrown back onto the ground.

"Gaah!" I gasped, wincing as I looked up to see how the others had taken it. Hunter managed to stay on his feet, but Kubo had also been tossed back. Snowflake seemed to have dodged the attack thanks to Victini, who had grabbed her around her chest and flew her up into the air. Sakura had also been hit from her place though. That meant most of us had been unveiled from Hunter's illusion...

"GGRRROOOOAAAAHHHH!" The five Guzzlord began stomping towards us again, opening their large mouths wide and charging hyper beam attacks to shoot at us. We scrambled to push them back, Kubo and Sakura sending ice beams and blizzards at them, with Mesprit, Snowflake and Victini trying to distract them with their moves too. But all we managed to do was divert their aim, and as the hyper beams blasted at us, only two of them were properly directed at us.

Three of the blasts show out just above the treetops, shaving off layers of leaves and erupting in a BOOOM in the distance.

I cried out as the bright white lights shot at me and my friends. I covered my face with my arms and ducked my head as if that would protect me from the blast.... as I cowered there for a moment, I found the attack was taking quite a long time to reach me. I frowned. I slowly peeked out of my arms and gasped.

"Kubo! Sakura, Hunter! Look!" I cried, and we all uncurled to find Mesprit hovering before us, with her arms outstretched and somehow blocking the hyper beams. The huge powerful blasts weren't hitting her, instead they were struggling against some kind of invisible cage. Mesprit had a bright pink aura surrounding her as she brought her hands together as if to crush the attacks, and they fizzled into nothing.

"Mesprit...!" I gasped in shock as she sighed in relief and started hovering down to our height.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

Mesprit turned back to us and smirked rather proudly. "That.. was called imprison. My legendary abilities are bound to come in handy sometimes!" She giggled. Even better, the illusion on her was still active. The Guzzlord were enraged now, confused about how their moves could've failed. They had not seen who it was that had imprisoned their attacks.

Still, though... we were not going to be able to last long if we kept going as we were. The Guzzlord were barely injured and we were flying by the skin of our teeth. These beasts were so strong... together...

I blinked. Now that was an idea...

"Mesprit!" I called her back before she could fly away, my hands clenched tight, "we have to separate them and take them down one at a time! They're too strong for us all at once," I said seriously.

She frowned as she realized I was right. "We've already got one of them pretty hurt- I'll tell Snowflake and Lunala!" With that she shot off into the sky. Watching this exchange, Kubo nodded.

"Sounds like we've still got a lot of work on our hands!" He smirked and fired another ice beam at the nearest Guzzlord. It roared and turned to us again, before another attack came in from Snowflake's location. Confused, it flailed its clawed hands and tried to dig into the earth around it. We had to jump out of the way, but as we did so, we attacked it again- but this time aimed at its feet.

It stepped away from our attacks and began to move. I wasn't entirely sure what the plan was, until I saw Snowflake and Victini's moves were blocking the others from following. So defeating this Guzzlord was up to us. We'd do our best.

"GGRRROOOOAAAAHHHH!!" It cried again, but this time, as it looked around, it realized that it was being drawn away from its fellow beasts. I could see that it was shocked to find itself being brought away without realizing it.

"Okay!" Lunala soared over our heads and called down to us, her illusion still in place. "Get ready! I'm going to open a portal behind it- you must push it back inside its own dimension!"

Her eyes flashed- and the air behind the beast began to waver and change as if the matter was being distorted. It warbled and shifted like the surface of water. Kubo, Sakura, Hunter and I all attacked the Guzzlord's feet, trying to force it backwards. It stumbled back, roaring in confusion and rage. A spark of light ignited behind it, and with a loud SHWING! sound, a glowing blue vortex suddenly opened.

"Now!" I cried, and we all attacked at once- even a dazzling gleam from Mesprit- which forced the Guzzlord back. it cried out in anger, but it couldn't do anything against our attacks. it finally collapsed, falling back into the portal. The moment its reaching claws disappeared within the bright blue light, the vortex sealed shut.

One down, four to go!

"Yes!" Kubo cheered, throwing a fist into the air.

"We actually did it!" I cheered along with him.

"Woohoo!" Sakura jumped up and down, turning to grin at Hunter. He smiled brightly, but besides that didn't cheer along with us. He was clearly hesitant to celebrate until all of the Guzzlord were defeated.

I looked up in surprise to find Snowflake running up to us, with Victini flying close behind her. "Snowflake!" I gasped as they slid to a stop on front of our group, "what're you doing here?"

"We're going to get- exhausted- if we keep this up. Do we.. have any items- that could speed this up..?" She asked, panting as she spoke.

"Hmmm..." I hummed worriedly and looked into my bag. In the distance, the other Guzzlord were looking around in confusion for their lost fifth member, and for the little nuisances that had attacked them. Inside my bag I could see a couple helpful healing items, as well as... "We have some orbs we could use?" I said skeptically, lifting a totter orb and a petrify orb out of my bag.

"Aha! That'll help!" Mesprit cheered, grabbing the totter orb from my hand and flying up a little ways into the air. "I'll use this to stop them in their tracks at the right time!"

My friends and I nodded at that. Mesprit flew off into the air to join Lunala again, and as I looked back over at the Guzzlord again, Sakura called out to us in alarm. "Guys! Two of them spotted us!"

And indeed whn I looked up, I could see two of the remaining four beasts were glaring right at us, their large mouths opened wide. "GROOOAAAHH!!" They roared together and began charging us as best they could with their heavy, lumbering bodies.

We sent our attacks at their feet, slowing them down and making them stumble as they charged. But this time they were much too determined to be stopped- instead they retaliated by thundering the ground with their feet in a stomping tantrum. A deep rumbling and trembling in the ground knocked us off our feet. It barely did anything to me, but the others- especially Victini- seemed to be brutally tossed down, and the Guzzlord were not slowing down.

Soon they'd be here and we'd be unable to stop them...!

I narrowed my eyes, realizing what I had to do. I pulled the petrify orb from my bag and threw it at my feet, shattering it like glass. Bursting from it in a bright surge of electric power, energy zapped around the Guzzlord. The two beasts froze in their places, their feet planted firmly on the ground. the electricity raced up and down their bodies, rooting them in place. They were paralyzed... now all we had to do was push them back.

I called for everyone to attack, and we sent every powerful move we could directly into their faces. Behind them, two shimmering blue portals opened up just in time for them to stumble backwards for balance. Lunala flew overhead, circling the two Guzzlord as they screeched and roared angrily. As their thundering feet stomped backwards into the two vortex, the crashing of their feet became hidden behind the loud SWOOSH of the portals. Finally their roars were muffled as the Guzzlord were both finally pushed inside. Lunala hastily shut the portals, closing them with a definitive SWISH!

Only two more to go, and they seemed to have decided to stomp off in the other direction, still confused and distracted by the attacks that Snowflake had sent at them from the other direction. Now that they were no longer being attacked, they had returned to ripping out trees from their roots and showing them into their large, gaping mouths.

"Hah! Those fools!" Mesprit laughed, flying down to our height so that she could talk to us again. She playfully spun the totter orb on the top of her finger. "They might be able to do all the last of the damage for us..."

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked, tilting his head in confusion and looking up at her worriedly. Mesprit smirked at him.

"This totter orb will do all the talking! Trust me!" She giggled mischievously and took off into the air again, making her way over towards the two beasts.

"Ah-!" I gasped, rushing after her hastily. The rest of my team followed close behind, racing after her and barely being able to keep up. From our distance we could see her raise the orb up above her head. Then she threw it, and it was much too see as it shot towards the ground. But then it shattered, and a bright light shot out between the two Guzzlord.

Shocked, they paused in their rampage and turned towards the light, "GRROOAAAAHH!!" They cried angrily, raising their claw hands up to try and shield their eyes. While the light was no blinding, it certainly seemed to dizzy them. As they began to shake their heads and tails, trying to dispel some strange feeling. They were effectively distracted.

"Now that they're confused, we can get their to attack each other!" Mesprit announced from her position hovering in the air. "attack them from the right angles and they'll do all the work for us!" She laughed, clapping her hands excitedly as she flew off to send dazzling gleams and ice beams in their directions.

Hastily we ran to join in. Now I could understand her plan. We wouldn't need to do any work at all of the two remained confused enough. All we had to do was try and keep out of the crossfire.

A blizzard from Sakura made the closest Guzzlord cry out in a furious rage, turning and using dragon tail on the entire area behind it, in the hopes of hitting its attacker. The tail swiped through a few trees before it slammed into Snowflake, knocking her aside. "Snowflake!" I ran to her worriedly. Even though she had been hit, so had the other Guzzlord. Slamming its mace-like tail into its fellow beast, the other Guzzlord shrieked in pain and retaliated, blasting a gush of dragon rage out of its large mouth.

"Snowflake, are you alright?" I ran to her worriedly, looking around her body for injuries. She seemed bruised but the large spikes on the beast's tail had not hit her. Thankfully...

"I-I'm fine, Moss," she wheezed, struggling to climb to her feet, "we have to keep attacking-"

But as she spoke, the dragon rage no longer remained pointed only at the other Guzzlord. In its confused rage, the beast turned its head and began blasting its attack out everywhere in all directions. I had to lift Snowflake into my arms so I could jump the both of us out of the way of the incoming attack. I ducked us behind a tree as it passed by us, and as I kept shelter there, I looked over to find the rest of my friends struggling to dodge the attack.

Kubo and Sakura were hit, but I could tell they weren't down and out yet. Victini had managed to lift Hunter up into the air away from the attack, but now he was panickily struggling in her grasp. Mesprit had managed to protect herself against the attack, and Lunala was still flying a safe distance away from the fight. Seeing the attack get drawn away from us, I raced out from behind the tree to regroup with the others, holding Snowflake tightly against me.

She curled into me, resting her head on my shoulder. It took an odd amount of willpower for me to remain focused on my destination of Kubo- and rather on the vulpix in my paws. But it was only moments later that I reached him, and I gently placed her down on the ground.

"She got hit by it's tail," I explained, "are you hurt too?"

Before Kubo could answer, Snowflake indignantly spoke up. "I'm not hurt! I can still fight!"

I sook my head, "you can hardly stand!"

"That can be easily taken care of!" Victini's voice suddenly announced, joining us by diving down and landing Hunter on the ground, sitting down casually on his back. He collapsed onto the ground urgently- not out of injury, though. He just hated flying.

I frowned at Victini. "What are you talking about?"

"Now's our chance to take out the last of them!" She said excitedly, pumping a fist into the air. "Now's our time to power up and hit them with all we've got! I'll power up Snowflake and she'll be right as rain again!" She leapt into the air as she spoke, placing her two orange hands on Snowflakes back, a warm glow quickly emitting from them.

"Now's not the time for-" Kubo began to say, but then as the glow faded and Victini drew her hands away, Snowflake quickly jumped to her feet. She stood with a strong, sturdy stance and incredulously smiled at Victini.

"Thanks?" She said. Victini giggled and nodded back at her. She quickly zipped around to the rest of us, placing her hands on us. As she came to me, I found the sudden rush of power and energy to be exhilarating.

"Now let's go!" Victini cried energetically. For once, I was inclined to follow her lead.

We made a circle around the two Guzzlord, attacking them at just the right angles that they would retaliate and hit each other instead of us. There were a few more close calls with their tails, but thanks to the reinvigorating energy given to us from Victini, we were able to barely dodge them.

Finally, they seemed on the brink of fainting, stumbling back and losing their balance. "Now, Lunala!" I cried, and in response, the strange watery effect on the air behind the beasts began to appear. "Fall back!" I ordered everyone to move out of the way, and we jumped back just as the portals opened.

As the SWISH! echoed through the area, the two Guzzlord roared out in fury, stumbling back and falling into the vortexes, their deafening "RROOOOAAAAAAAHHH!!!" cries were silenced as they disappeared into the ultra wormholes, and finally fell to silence as they finally shut, sealing up with a flash of light and a gust of wind.

Silence fell upon us for a long moment. All I could hear was the wind through the trees. Slowly, I loosened my stance.

The battlefield was barren of trees or even shrubberies or grass. If there had been a town here, there was no trace of it. It was as if large plows had come through and demolished the area. But the cries and roars had silenced, and following in its wake was a stunned hush that fell over the area. Night had fallen during our battle and now it was completely dark, if not for the moonlight shining down and casting shadows from the trees. Wind whistled. Slowly, frightened pokemon peeked their heads out of the trees to peer at us standing in the middle of the destruction.

It was done... we had defeated them...

"Hah... hahaha!" I laughed in amazement, blown away by what we had managed to do. From the small distance that my friends were standing, I could hear them laughing as well.

We did it...! We did it!

"Hahahaa! Hah- hah..."

I didn't even notice how exhausted I was until I had already passed out.

\---

I had never felt more sore than I did when I woke up. I was laying on my back on top of something soft and comfortable, but I couldn't properly appreciate it when my muscles were screaming out in protest. I could understand them being angry at me, but could they quiet down a little bit?!

I groaned and rolled on my side. There was a slight rustle as I did so, and I realized I was laying on a bed of large palm leaves. The air felt temperate, but any comfort I could've gotten from it was ruined from how exhausted and sweaty I felt. My muscles ached, keeping me from returning to sleep even though that's all I had in mind to do. I sighed, an slowly opened my eyes.

I was in an unfamiliar place I had never seen before. It appeared to be a room in a little wooden hut, where I was curled up on one of many beds laid out on the floor. Hunter was the first one in my vision, but as I lifted my dizzy head to look at the rest of the room, I could see Kubo, Snowflake, Sakura, and Victini as well. Everyone was resting- but there was one pokemon standing in the room who was definitively not asleep.

It was... a little mudkip boy.

Oh... I shook my head a little to clear away the fogginess. Was this... that same boy from those pokemon we had met before? That would explain where we were right now...

Mudkip noticed my movement and jumped a bit in shock. He turned to me suddenly and stared at me with wide, timid eyes.

"Uh..." I weakly managed to say, "hello... um, what happened..?" I raised my paw to rub at my temple.

Mudkip made a small, fearful keening noise before jumping to his feet. "One moment...!" He announced rather quietly. "I'm gonna... go get someone..!" And with that he quickly turned tail and dashed to the door, opening it and quietly closing it behind him.

I slowly managed to lift myself into a seated position. I took a closer look around as I waited for someone to arrive. There was a table lining one of the walls that held all of our bags, as well as some medical supplies. Upon looking down at myself, I found bandages wrapped here and there around my body. It seems those pokemon had taken it upon themselves to patch us up...

Upon looking to my friends, I could see that Snowflake was the one with the most bandages. I hoped that hit from the beasts tail hadn't broken or strained anything...

But then my attention was suddenly drawn away as the door opened again. It was Lilligant who cautiously stepped inside, making sure to not to wake us. In her free hand, she held a tray of food and water. Upon seeing me sitting up and awake, she smiled and shut the door behind herself.

"Good morning..." She trailed off, worldlessly asking for my name.

"Moss," I said with a smile. She smiled wider and nodded.

"Good morning, Moss... you and your friends were understandably exhausted after that fight... I am relieved to see you are alright." She said softly. With that, she placed the tray of food on the end of my bed. I smiled and took an oran berry from it.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"Of course," she sat down graciously next to my bed and still managed to be looking down at me. "I... forgive me, but I have to ask... how did you all manage to defeat those monsters?" She seemed absolutely blown away, her expression was one of awe.

I flushed, and looked down at my food. I took a bite and shrugged. "Team work, I guess," I stumbled. I wasn't so sure how to explain myself. Even I was shocked at what we had been able to accomplish. We had never taken on beasts that big before- let alone so many. Yet we had still managed to come out of it okay... I frowned, and looked around the room again.

"Where's Mesprit? And Lunala?" I asked curiously.

"Oh!" Lilligant gasped with a soft smile, "of course- there's no need to worry, they are both fine. They didn't need to rest, so they're outside relaxing after your fight."

"I see..." I hummed and took another bite of my berry. "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours- it should be morning soon. If you wish, you could still get more rest..?" She asked cautiously. I shook my head and declined. There was no way I'd be getting back to sleep with this headache.

Instead I asked if I could leave the room with her- I didn't want to disturb my teams' slumber. So Lilligant took the tray back into her hands, helped me to my feet, and guided me out of the room.

Outside the bedroom, there was one singular room that made up the rest of the hut. Closest to us was the kitchen, which contained a large round table with stools, and a fireplace with a cooking grill over it. Farthest from the bedroom sat what must've been the living room, or at least the pokemon equivalent of one. It housed little toys and games stored in boxes on the wall- and it seems that young mudkip had been playing with a ball until he saw us enter the room. Now he had scuttered his way outside the front door.

I could hear voices from outside as he opened and shut the door. It was dark out.

"Come, sit here.." Lilligant lead me to one of the stools and put my food there. I sat down and thanked her, then turned to continue eating my food. This was a rather comfortable place. I smiled happily as I ate. This was a safe place... I was glad that they were safe now. These were rather kind folk, weren't they?

I jovially chowed down everything on my plate, not paying attention to Lilligant as she opened the front door and called out to the voices outside. Thus I was rather shocked when a sudden small crowd of familiar pokemon rushed in and took the other seats around the table.

"You're awake!" Hattrem announced excitedly as she and Steenee sat down at the table opposite of me. They beamed at me as Vulpix jumped up on the stool next to me. Slowly, Lilligant followed them, with Mesprit calmly following after her. Seeing me, she flew up to me and hovered over my head. Mudkip kept his distance, quietly watching from his seat by the door.

"You gave us a right scare, Moss! Good to see you're alright," Mesprit smiled at me kindly before taking the seat to my other side. I turned to her and smiled back.

"Did I miss much?" I asked wryly. Mesprit shook her head.

"No... Although Lunala was quite worried about you when you fainted. She took us here at Lilligant's direction." She said, pointing towards the grass-type, who inclined her head politely. Mesprit grinned proudly, "we really showed those guys who's boss!"

"Yeah!" I cheered a bit tiredly, and the other pokemon all joined in. But they were quickly hushed my Lilligant, telling us to be considerate of my slumbering friends. I couldn't help but chuckle softly to myself.

"If only you all got here sooner," Hattrem sighed, but despite her words I could tell she was still in good spirits, "a large part of Eastern Jungle still got destroyed..."

"That's alright," Steenee replied rather flippantly, "it can grow back!"

"But won't that take a long time?" I asked worriedly.

To my surprise, Steenee shook her head. "Nope! There's a lot of grass pokemon here that can help it along... not to mention... we have a guardian who keeps the jungle lush and healthy. He'll bring things back to normal in no time!"

I perked up at the mention of a guardian, and from the corner of my eye I could see Mesprit had done the same. Hattrem sighed at Steenee's words.

"Yeah, but he hasn't really been spotted in a while... You'd think he'd have come out to fight those beasts off, or something..." She leaned her chin on her elbow.

"This guardian... he wouldn't happen to be called Tapu Bulu, would he?" I asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Vulpix frowned, tilting his head. I blinked at him. "You know about Tapu Bulu? I didn't think pokemon outside Eastern Jungle would know of him..."

"He's the reason we came here, actually," I replied, inspiring a rather perplexed look from him. From my other side, I could hear Mesprit giggle at his expression. "Would any of you happen to know where his shrine is?" I asked, "it's very important that we find him."

Lilligant, Steenee and Hattrem shook their heads. I wilted, but then Vulpix grinned, nodding his head energetically. "I know the way! The shrine is farther into Eastern Jungle, near a volcano called Mt. Inferno. A lot of fire-types like me live there. We often go there to worship him... I could lead you there, if you like, but I cannot promise he will appear to you."

"No worries about that," Mesprit said with a sad look growing on her face. "It'll just take a bit of looking. But we'll find him."

Confused, Vulpix looked between me and her. "I... okay?"

"Don't worry about it, things will be fine," I assured him, "thank you for your help."

He grinned back, and opened his mouth to say more- but then the door to the bedroom slowly creaked open. We all jolted a bit in surprise and turned to look at who had woken up. It was Snowflake.

I smiled excitedly upon seeing her. She brightened up a bit and smiled back in relief. Had she been worried about me..? She trotted up to the table and furrowed her brow seeing the two seats at my side were taken up. Seeing that, Vulpix quickly climbed down from his own seat and offered it to her. "You can sit here is you like!" He said cheerily, smiling at her amicably. I raised an eyebrow but chose not to think too much about it, as Snowflake nodded at him thankfully and sat down next to me.

"Good morning, Moss..." she said softly, smiling at me, "I'm happy to see you're alright."

"You too." I said, noting as Vulpix took the seat next to Snowflake instead.

"Just so you know- I know the way to Tapu Bulu's shrine, so I'll be guiding you guys there," Vulpix chirped, coaxing Snowflakes attention over to him. "It's not too far, but I'd be honored to help."

"Oh?" Snowflake blinked, smiling politely at him, "that's great! That'll be a huge help."

Vulpix grinned at her, and for some reason, that strange feeling I had had about him before returned to me. Why did he have to have such interest in Snowflake? They were both vulpix, yes, so that was probably all it was... but something about it really twisted my gut. I frowned. From my side, I didn't notice as an amused grin slipped onto Mesprit's face. She looked between the three of us, a mischievous look in her eye.

\---

It was about an hour later that we were all set up and prepared to set off. The rest of my team had eventually awoken, and had been rather excited to hear that we had a guide. But to my chagrin, Vulpix continued to jovially barrage Snowflake with attention. He would ask her about the fight with the Guzzlord, and would act deeply impressed by Snowflake's bravery and strength. What did he think he was doing!?

Furthermore, Vulpix would be the only one accompanying us. Lilligant and Hattrem helped restock our supplies, even though we insisted there was no need. The small group saw us off with a wave as we followed Vulpix away, opting to walk rather than fly. Lunala flew in circles above our heads, keeping an eye on us and looking out for incoming trouble as we walked. Even Mudkip sat on Lilligants shoulder and waved to us along with the rest of them.

"See ya! I'll be back before nightfall!" Vulpix called back as we grew farther and farther away. Once we were out of earshot, he sighed happily. He turned to us excitedly. "I've never gotten to do something so important before," he said passionately, "I'm real lucky to be able to help you out." Even though he was addressing all of us, I knew he was talking to Snowflake in particular. I huffed in annoyance but tried my best to hide it.

Mesprit flew up beside me. "Your help is dearly appreciated," she said with a grin, "right, Moss?" She turned to me with a forcefully innocent look on her face. My yes widened in shocked as I stumbled to hide my discontent.

"Ah- uh, yeah, of course!" I stumbled.

It wasn't long before we were leaving the jungle behind. It had been hard to see approaching through all the foliage, but it wasn't long before we came upon Mt. Inferno. The area became rocky and uneven, with large boulders and cliffs rising up above our heads. It became a bit harder to see where Lunala was circling above us.

"Ah... hah..."

"What's wrong, Snowflake?" Vulpix paused, turning back to watch Snowflake as her tails and ears sagged a bit, and her pace slowed slightly. He frowned worriedly.

I couldn't help but also find myself wilting a little. The Eastern Jungle had always been a bit of a hot and humid place, but now it was dry, and the heat had increased considerably now, without the leaves of the trees to hide us from the early morning sun. Not to mention... I was sure it was even hotter inside the large, active volcano.

It was no surprise to me that Snowflake and I were struggling a bit more than the others. In fact, Victini seemed overly peppy, zipping around energetically in the air as she inspected the area.

Snowflake shook her head. "I'm fine... it's just a bit hot..."

"Ah, right," Vulpix flushed bashfully. "I forgot.. it may be a bit uncomfortable for you. But I assure you, his shrine isn't too far inside. Come! Let's be quick about it!" He did an encouraging little hop and turned to continue leading us up the mountain.

"I don't know what the problem is!" Victini pouted as she wanted Snowflake and I pant tiredly. "The heat is good for a fire-type like me. I feel like I could beat up at least ten beasts by myself, all at once!" She announced, doing mock little punches and kicks into the air. Snowflake and I exchanged an unimpressed glance before glaring at her pointedly.

"I'd like to see you try, Vivi!" Kubo quipped, folding his hands behind his head.

Victini frowned at him. "You think I can't!?"

Kubo looked away innocently. "I dunno! Won't know until you try!"

"I'll show you, little froakie!" She then shot at him in the air. But she didn't move fast enough, as Kubo jumped out of the way just in time. He laughed as she pouted at him.

"In your native element and you still can't catch me~!" He teased.

"Why, you!"

As the two bickered, I was almost surprised at how Snowflake didn't intervene. But, I could tell she was a bit distracted- I myself couldn't be bothered to stop them either. We were both trailing behind the group a little.

Seeing our exhaustion, Hunter slowed down to walk at my side. "Are you alright?" He asked. I mustered a nod. He frowned. "You know- if you two are too tired, maybe we could call Lunala to carry you."

I blinked, and turned to him. I hummed softly before looking to Snowflake. She nodded, and I smiled weakly. That would be good. No more exhausting uphill hiking for me, thank-you-very-much.

After we had called her down and climbed aboard, Lunala flew a bit closer to the ground. Sakura and Hunter hand joined us on her back as well, leaving Kubo and Victini to continue their bickering. Vulpix hadn't minded, although I felt a sting of guilt at seeing him worried about us. Mesprit flew up to our height for a moment, making sure we were okay with a nervous expression on her face.

"I hope we don't encounter any more beasts up here," she said worriedly, "Those last ones were bad enough..."

"Yes, I hope so too," Sakura said, her head held high and inspecting the area. We had climbed a good ways up the mountain by now. Lunala said nothing to that, and in fact, had barely said much at all since we had woken up this morning. She seemed deep in thought. I wondered why that could be...

It wasn't long before we arrived at a cave entrance. It was huge, almost reaching all the way up into the cliffside. There was no question that Lunala could fit inside it. And to my shock, two arcanine were guarding it. Was this the entrance to the shrine? Upon seeing the approach of our group- and particularly Lunala- the two pokemon snarled and raised their hackles. They crouched down, as if ready to attack at any moment. Oh no, what were we going to do..?

"Hey! Don't worry- it's alright!" Vulpix called out to them. The two large pokemon paused as he rushed up, stopping a safe distance from them. "They're no threat to the shrine, I guided them here," he said and bowed his head respectfully.

The two arcanine looked at each other skeptically before returning their gaze to him. "Then what business do you have here?" The one on the right asked.

"These pokemon are an exploration team. They came here to help us, and they managed to fight off those huge beasts that had been attacking the Eastern Jungle just yesterday!" He replied proudly.

The arcanine that had spoken raised his eyebrows in shock. "Really? Well it's true that they've stopped rampaging..." He grumbled thoughtfully. They both seemed rather surprised to hear this. But the one on the left frowned after a moment of thought. "What does that have to do with the guardian?" He growled.

"Ah..." I tried to climb off of Lunala so I could speak, but I was much too sluggish. I, along with everybody else who had taken a ride on Lunala, slowly made our way to clamber off. Picking up my slack, Kubo stepped forwards to stand beside Vulpix instead.

"Well! I'm sure you all must've been wondering where Tapu Bulu is?" He asked, but didn't wait for a response before continuing, "why did he not intervene when those huge Ultra Beasts attacked? Normally it would be his job to protect the place from such harm, right?" He paused, this time waiting for them to answer. Hesitantly, the two fire-types nodded. Kubo grinned. "And yet he hasn't shown himself... As an exploration team, we are here to investigate what's going on with him."

The left arcanine scoffed. "Do you really think you are capable of 'saving' our guardian?" They both seemed mildly offended.

"Well they were able to defeat the beasts, weren't they?" Vulpix growled back just as confidently, as if he wasn't puny in comparison to them. "Just let us take a look around, you can kick us out if we cause trouble."

They mulled over this for a moment longer, before finally relenting. "Fine. But only members of the exploration team may go. If you aren't a member then you'll go no further."

"What!" Vulpix cried indignantly. "But-"

"Don't worry." Snowflake said, stepping up beside him and shaking her head at him. "You've done a world of help for us already. Thank you." She smiled gratefully at him. I felt my stomach twist and I clenched my fists. He smiled in return, and acquiesced.

"Alright, alright... but you better find him- and.. be safe." He tilted his head shyly.

Snowflake nodded. "Can do!" She giggled and he laughed along with her. I felt my lip twitch, and I looked away. As I did so, I saw Mesprit grinning mischievously at me.

But with that, we finally began entering the cave. There was a sudden gush of heat and I felt my stomach twist for a different reason. This heat was making me feel absolutely sick...

But we kept marching forward. It felt like we were walking in the middle of a huge crevice. Lunala seemed a bit claustrophobic in here, hovering close behind us. I was thankful for her shade. She helped keep a bit of that hot air from reaching us. Still, I couldn't help but pant tiredly.

Suddenly, Snowflake and I were both sprayed in the face with a gush of water. "Waah!" I spluttered, cowering in shock. When the water stopped, I found Kubo grinning victoriously.

"Aha! Now that's bound to help you two out. No more sulking, alright?" He put his hands on his hips proudly.

To my surprise, Snowflake now finally had enough energy again to chastise him. "Kubo! You're not supposed to just spray someone when they have no idea!"

He gasped. "What! Who made that a rule! You guys were gonna be sick if it weren't for me!"

"Ohh! Who asked you," She huffed back, turning up her nose at him. In reaction, he simply sprayed her again. "Kubo!"

I watched the exchange with no small amount of relief. At least Snowflake was feeling better... and it was much better seeing her being friendly with Kubo rather than that other Vulpix...

"You don't like that Vulpix, do you?" Mesprit asked knowingly, making me jump. I turned to her. Had she somehow read my thoughts!?

"What? What are you talking about? I have no reason to dislike him..." I frowned at her grumpily.

She grinned. "I know. So it seems a little strange that you still do~"

I blinked at her, completely perplexed. She laughed at my confused expression and did a small flip in the air. "You're so easy," she shook her head fondly. I felt myself blush in embarrassment. She could read my emotions, couldn't she?

"That's not funny..." I pouted.

"Yeah!" A voice interrupted. I turned and found Hunter rushing up to try and bump Mesprit away with his nose. She giggled and flipped away from him effortlessly. "Don't mess with our emotions!" He barked indignantly. I was honestly quite relieved to have someone on my side with this. Even if he had no idea what it was about. Mesprit had teased him about his emotions too, hadn't she...

"Ohhh fine," she sighed, but didn't seem actually put out at all, "you're both babies." Instead she flew off to chat with Sakura, who happily welcomed her. I sighed in relief to see that she was willing to not bother me anymore. She acted like she knew my emotions so well, when I still had no idea what she was on about...

I didn't have any reason to dislike Vulpix... so why did he aggravate me?

"Oh... Moss, look!" Hunter cried, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up and found that the tall crevice finally opened up into a huge underground desert, with the ceiling stretching high above us like a cathedral. Set up far in the back of the huge room, there stood a pile of ruins. They were familiar, looking just like the ones we saw with the other Tapu. The shrine was in disrepair, which seemed strange considering how pokemon supposedly would come here to worship their guardian. Those Ultra Beasts... they must have destroyed them.

And just like with Tapu Lele, there were old dried vines creeping up the walls; with cacti wilting and drying up. Thankfully, though, the area was quiet, and seemed more abandoned than anything. There were no beasts... but Tapu Bulu had to be hidden somewhere. What if he had been buried in the sand?

"Where should we look?" Sakura asked in concern as we made our way over to the ruins. "Tapu Bulu has to be somewhere around here..."

We stepped onto the stone and looked up and around. The open portal could be found hudden just inside the building of the shrine, but the ceiling above it was caved in and crumbing around the floor around it. Dead and dried leaves were crunched under the rocks and debris. I peeked out through the hole of the ceiling and could see nothing but huge stalactites reaching down from the roof of the cave. Everything was so dry and hot in here... Where could he be?

Lunala craned her heck looking around. She softly shut her eyes, before slowly opening them again. As her eyes opened, a third one opened on the crown of her head. All three were glowing a bright blue. I gasped. "Lunala... can you find him..?" I asked incredulously.

She didn't respond. Instead she lifted up into the air, circling the entire room. Kubo frowned in confusion. "What's she up to..?"

As we puzzled her strange behaviour, she suddenly stopped. Hovering over the sand to the left to the shrine, she lowered down and he eyes flashed a brilliant blue colour. The sand shifted, bulged, and finally exploded out. I could hear Sakura (and Hunter) squeal in fear. But to all our shock, the explosion was no attack, but it was Tapu Bulu, bursting from the sand and ringing the bell on his tail furiously.

He turned to Lunala and glared. "What is this!" He snapped.

Lunala didn't respond, only tilting her head quietly. He growled darkly, before a strange understanding overcame him. "Wait, are you...?" He turned suddenly, looking around. I felt the instinctive need to duck my head and hide, but his gaze passed over us carelessly. When he spotted the open portal, he snarled. "Yes... I remember now.." He snarled, flying over to the portal and ringing his bell furiously again.

We watched with bated breath as he shut the portal. It shimmered and warped, before finally losing shape. It collapsed, shutting with a SHWING! As he finished his task, he slowly stopped ringing his bell. Then he turned, and looked over each of us again. Lunala looked back as well, but now her eyes were no longer glowing, and the third one was nowhere to be seen.

Tapu Bulu looked down at us stoically. "Thank you. All of you. ...I know why you all are here, so there is no need to explain." He sighed, and hovered down to be more at our level. "I can't stand that this all happened as it did. We were not supposed to be defeated..." Tapu Bulu growled angrily under his breath.

"You and the other tapu?" Sakura asked. Tapu Bulu nodded.

"Yes. It's rather infuriating to need to be saved..." he huffed, "but without you, who knows where we'd be... so your assistance is appreciated." He looked around at the lot of us. Most of us were still sporting bandages and bruises from our fight with the Guzzlord, and we were all rather overheated from being inside this volcano. We must've looked rather pathetic to him...

But to my surprise, he nodded softly to himself. "Please, take a rest here. There is much you've been through, that much is obvious." He paused suddenly. "...I must go. Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele have sensed me, and they call to me. Tell me- can I trust in you to save Tapu Fini as well?" He asked sseriously.

I stood up tall, gaining his attention. I nodded seriously. "We'll be going for her as soon as we can." I said.

He nodded back at me. "Good. But before I go... Let me help you to some food." He quickly shot up into the air, as as he flew, a trail of green light sparkled down from him, sinking into the sand. I frowned and peered at the sand, wondering what this was supposed to do.

Then, a sprout peeked out of the sand, before quickly growing up to its full size, towering over my head as a palm tree grew up to its full height, a bushel of coconuts growing underneath its large palms. I gaped up at it, before a small forest of palm tees followed it. From the far side of the cave, Tapu Bulu rung his bell, bidding the sand dunes to shift and move away, revealing an old dried up pond of water. But with the sand moved aside, the water began to flow again. Flowers began to bloom, and the vines covering the walls began to climbed higher and higher up them. I gasped in awe as the underground desert was quickly transformed into an oasis.

It was.... beautiful.

"Eat to your fill!" Tapu Bulu roared, ringing his bell again. "And be strong!"

"Thank you!" Victini cried, and we all joined in with her. Following in the wake of our thanks, Tapu Bulu shot up and out of the cave, no doubt making his way to meet with his siblings.

I stared after him. We had saved another... only one left to go. Those monsters thought that they could come here and destroy this beautiful world? Well... I looked to Lunala. She was still looking after Tapu Bulu, but I could see a hopeful look in her eyes too.

She had brought me here. I hadn't thought I would have it in me to do the task she set out for me. But... recently, I had started to feel more and more like...

We would actually be able to do this. We could win!

And with that sentiment in mind, we all took the time to do as Tapu Bulu asked. For the moment... we would relax. We would celebrate!

Nothing could stop us now!


	17. Chapter 17

Even though it was still hot here in Tapu Bulu's shrine, it was a lot more manageable now with a nice bath of water to lounge in. Snowflake and I relaxed together, leaning against the edge of the water and watching as the others relaxed and ate together. The heat was much more manageable here now. It felt more like.. a vacation, now.

"This is great!" Victini announced, zipping around in the air and plucking berries from bushes. She popped them in her mouth and chewed as she spoke. "I've never felt so energized!" She twirled and laughed happily, kicking her feet as she fluttered in the air.

"I for one, am quite exhausted..." Snowflake remarked wryly to me, "I hope we don't see anymore of those beasts for a while..." She sighed and sunk a bit deeper into the water, minding her bandages.

"I agree with Victini," Kubo said as he hopped up to us and stuck his feet in the water. He grinned, turning an oran berry over in his hands. "Looking back, it was really epic, you can't lie!" He munched at his berry and smirked at us. I sighed and shook my head, but a smirk of my own answered his. "And Mesprit too!" He announced suddenly, turning to her, "your new moves were so cool!"

Mesprit smiled, though a bit tiredly, as she sat by the trunk of one of the palm trees. "I'm just happy to be able to rest and enjoy the view for a while. As cool as it was, I'm still taxed from everything..." She didn't have injuries like the rest of us, but she was still clearly rather sore. She had just recovered from her past injuries after all. So much excitement had to be exhausting.

Sakura frowned from her place in the bushes. She trotted over to Mesprit and handed her a bunch of berries. Mesprit smiled thankfully and took them, slowly munching at them. Sakura sat down across from her and smiled.

I looked around, curiously wondering where the last of out team was hiding. To my surprise, I found Hunter resting against the wing of Lunala, who was also laying down, relaxed. In fact, they both even seemed to be sleeping. I rested my chin in my hands and smiled. Those two... Hunter was never a fan of flying but perhaps her large size gave him a sense of security. It made me happy to think Lunala was fitting in a bit more with the rest of us... she seemed a bit unsure of herself, and a bit quiet too... perhaps she still needed time to come out of her shell, like Hunter did.

My eyes drifted tiredly. I was so drowsy, even though all we had done so far today was walk. It just felt so nice to relax here a little while... Something about the aura Tapu Bulu had exuded around the entire shrine, it made me feel so refreshed, yet drowsy. I rested my head in my folded arms...

But it seemed that rest was not on the agenda for today, as Victini suddenly bounded into me. "Waaah!" She cried in shock of her clumsiness.

I gasped at the splash of water that ensued, the cool water a start contrast with the warm air. She splashed Snowflake too, and we both glowered at her as she squealed and danced her way back out of the water. It seemed that heat really did make fire-types more energetic.

I yawned and stretched, looking around again.

Victini seemed determined to wake everybody up from their relaxed and leisurely mood. She fluttered around throwing the cool water around. She dripped on Sakura and Hunter's heads, awakening the latter and making them both look up with a pout. Kubo tried to shoot a water gun at her playfully and she screeched rather loudly.

Mesprit grinned at me in amusement. I huffed in annoyance at being woken up so rudely, making her chuckle softly. She sobered rather quickly though, as she began to think about something. She looked away for a moment before looking back at me with a serious look in her eyes. I frowned. It seems we were back to business.

I clambered out of the water and made my way up to her. "Mesprit, what is it?" I asked.

"I have been thinking about something for the past few days," she said thoughtfully, "I would like to share it with everyone, if I may."

Following her words, the rest of the team perked up and made their ways over. Snowflake shook the water from her fur and sat down next to me, with Kubo taking a seat to my other side. Sakura, Hunter and Victini joined him, and While Lunala did not move from her spot, I did see her shift her body towards us. She watched curiously.

She smiled softly at us, hesitating before she spoke. "Well... ever since we collected the Lunar Stone from its place at Misty Valley, I've been thinking... The enemy is strong, and I could not take them on on my own..." she paused and looked around at us. We nodded encouragingly, but I couldn't help but wonder why she seemed so nervous to share her thoughts with us. She had never seemed nervous before. "So, keeping the stone with us on our journey keeps it safer, with all of us to protect it. for that reason, I... I have a feeling my brother, Azelf, may not be so safe alone either. Especially since you've met him, the Ultra Beasts might know of his location. So..."

She paused and looked down awkwardly. The silence that followed her lack of words was.. much more tense to say the least. Mentioning Azelf... she certainly didn't mean to say-

"I would like for him to join us, with his Solar Stone." She finished firmly.

A tense silence fell over us. I could tell Kubo, Snowflake and Hunter were all stunned, while Sakura was feeling simply uneasy. We were all unsure of what to say.

Azelf? ...Coming with us?

I could still see those bright, amber eyes in the darkness, staring at me with a fierce intensity. Deep within them, I had seen the desire and ability to wipe me out like I was nothing. I shuddered.

Yes, I had spoken to him afterwards, and he seemed apologetic enough, but... could someone like that really come with us? Someone who could possess our bodies?

"Woah! You have a brother?" Victini exclaimed excitedly.

Mesprit grinned awkwardly, "yes, I do..."

"That's crazy," Victini gasped, kicking her feet where she sat on the ground, "he has to come, I wanna met him!"

"No you don't." Kubo growled angrily, shutting down her excitement. Victini frowned and tilted her head at him. Kubo huffed and crossed his arms and turned to the rest of us. "Don't think I forgot about when he took over our bodies and tried to kill us without hesitation!"

Victini gasped and her eyes went wide in surprise, while Hunter ducked his head and whimpered. His ears remained pressed against his head as he tried to steel himself, and glared bravely. "Yeah! He was terrifying, how could we trust to have him around? We'd be helpless if he tried to hurt us!"

"He wouldn't hurt you because you're my friends!" Mesprit protested.

"I don't know..." Snowflake murmured in concern, "he hurt us a lot, I don't know if we could really get over that..." Sakura nodded, even though she had only heard stories about the awful things that had happened on our trip.

I hummed, but otherwise stayed silent. I knew, as he told me, that he had been extremely worried about his sister. He couldn't leave his stone to check on her, so I could only imagine the stress he was under, not knowing she was safe. I could understand why he lashed out so suddenly upon hearing her name. But...

Mesprit could tell we weren't convinced, so she looked at us seriously. "Look, I know my brother can be rash sometimes, but... he isn't mean. If you get to know him better... you'll understand that. And we'd be doing this to protect the stone, too!"

"Then why not just take the stone?" Kubo asked, crossing his arms. "Why do we need him to come with us too?"

"Yeah..." Hunter added, "even just thinking about him makes a chill go up my spine."

"I didn't get to go through what you guys did... but the thought of any of you getting hurt like that really scares me," Sakura said softly, her head dipped down, "we would've even lost Lunala..."

At that, Lunala perked up in surprise. That's right... she had been a Cosmoem, asleep in my bag at the time...

Snowflake sighed and stood, moving her way over to Mesprit. She sat down next to her and smiled sympathetically. "It's understandable that you'd want to keep his stone safe too. I know you got badly hurt when you were on your own... But- I just- I don't think we're ready to meet him again..." She said softly. Following her words, Kubo, Sakura and Hunter nodded. Mesprit sighed sadly at that, disappointment shining in her eyes. Then, to my surprise, her gaze fell onto me. A small spark of hope grew within them as she did so.

"Moss.... you've been awfully quiet..." She said softly.

I looked down thoughtfully. He WAS Mesprit's brother... and I knew how much she missed them. It wasn't just about the stone. She wanted to protect him too... why someone like him would need our protection, I couldn't fathom it, but...

I looked back up and nodded, standing to my feet. "I... I think we should bring him with us. I don't feel all that comfortable about it, but... I can imagine that he wouldn't leave the Solar Stone with us without him. He'll need to come with us if we're to protect it properly."

Kubo and Hunter both gasped and stared at me, betrayal in their eyes. I winced and shrugged at them apologetically. To my relief, though, Snowflake looked at me softly, before nodding. "Moss is right... He wouldn't hurt us when we have the same goal in mind. And- this isn't about our comfort, this is about the world." I smiled at her, and she smiled back. "After all... Mesprit knows him best. She'll keep him under control, I trust." Snowflake stood and walked over to my side, grinning at Mesprit as she put her paw on my shoulder. I followed her gaze and saw joy shining in Mesprit's eyes.

"Ohhh you!" She quickly raced to us and gave us a big hug. "Thank you, thank you!" She pulled away with a wide smile. "Trust me, my friends... he isn't really a monster."

"Uhm..." A voice broke us from the moment and we turned to see Victini frowning in confusion. "Now that that's all figured out- mind telling me what happened? I feel like I missed something..." She scratched at the back of her head, looking around at all of us. As her gaze fell upon Lunala, she too nodded.

"I would also like a bit of an explanation... I don't recall anything happening with Azelf...?" She asked softly.

"You were asleep at the time, Lunala, so you wouldn't know..." Kubo said with a rather sour expression still on his face, "see- after we closed the first portal with Tapu Koko, he directed us to someone who would know the way back home."

Victini frowned, "how would you not know the way?"

"We had been kidnapped by an Ultra Beast." Hunter supplied, his voice stilted and annoyed. "It took us a long way and we had no idea what direction home was."

"Right, so-" Kubo cut back in, "-it turns out the person Tapu Koko directed us towards was Azelf. He was absolutely crazy, and attacked us the moment he saw us. And when I mentioned Mesprit to try and let him know we were friends, he tried to kill us!" He said angrily, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"Didn't he try to get you to kill each other?" Sakura asked with a worried frown.

Hunter nodded. "Yeah... He took control of our bodies to attack us. Moss was able to get Mesprit to talk to him with telepathy to calm him down..."

"And if she hadn't we wouldn't be here right now!" Kubo said, and while he still seemed frustrated, he was clearly very thankful of Mesprit's help, it the proud look he sent her was anything to go by.

Hunter shuddered at his words, though. "He's so scary... I don't think I could handle something like that again..." He bit his lip and shut his eyes, trying to keep himself from getting upset. "His eyes... they seemed so evil and malicious in the darkness.." I frowned sadly seeing how worked up Hunter seemed about this. I had forgotten how much bravery it took for him to even go into the cave to meet Azelf. It must've been like a nightmare to him...

Showflake shifted at my side a bit uncomfortably. "Yes... nobody could forget those eyes..." Snowflake admitted.

We were silent at that, and I could tell everyone who had been there with me that day was reminiscing on how terrifying that encounter had been. Besides me, everyone had been knocked out... I supposed I was the only one who had gotten to see Azelf as he came to his senses. For the rest of them, he must have appeared like two different people.

Victini hummed softly, before nodding to herself. She raised her gaze and looked back at us. "It sounds like it was a pretty hard time. But that's no reason to hate someone! Especially when you don't know them!" There was a bossy, self-important air to how she held herself. Despite how I didn't like her tone, I supposed it was good that she had my back.

Still, I could only guess what kind of response that'd prompt from Kubo. I found him glaring in irritation at Victini. "Maybe you shouldn't talk about things you don't know anything about, Vivi..." He grumbled. He looked away from her and caught my eye instead. I smiled at him weakly. He stared at me, his expression calming... and then he huffed. "Uhgggg fine! He can come. But only because of the stone!"

"Yes!" Mesprit flew up in he air to do an excited little twirl. Kubo blushed deeply upon seeing it.

"I agree that it would be a good idea," Lunala said softly, gaining Mesprit's attention, "but... it is risky too. Are you sure the stones will be safe?" She asked worriedly.

Mesprit smiled at her good naturedly and nodded. "I think so! But- we will have to be sneaky about it. We don't want anybody knowing we have it with us. So we should wait until the evening before we go..."

\---

After thanking Vulpix for his help on our way out of Tapu Bulu's shrine, we were off again to our next destination. The next shrine on our journey was to the north, according to the old Corviknight's map. Luckily, Azelf's cave was not too far off the path we'd need to take to get there. We flew through the cool night air, and I found myself relieved at being out and away from all the heat at last. I wondered if I should be able to recognize any of the landscapes from above, from back when the Ultra Beast had kidnapped us. But it was night this time, and I could barely distinguish anything. Lunala and Mesprit didn't appear to have such troubles, however.

It wasn't long before Mesprit called for us to stop, saying that we had arrived above the forest that surrounded Azelf's cave. She told us that since the trees were so dense, it would be difficult for Lunala to make her way beneath them.

"That's alright, Mesprit..." Lunala said softly, slowly making her descent, "I'll manage, you all just go on ahead, okay?"

"'All?' You think I'm going back in there?" Hunter yelped. Lunala perched on the top of the trees and reached one large wing down through the branches to reach the grassy floor. But we all hesitated at Hunter's words. We hadn't considered that. Were we all really going to go back in there?

"You're such a baby." Mesprit smirked in amusement at Hunter's fearful protest. He flushed angrily and she giggled, before shaking her head and growing serious again. "It would be best if you all stay out here," she said, answering our unasked questions, "he'd probably get freaked out seeing a group come into his territory. If it's just me he'll feel a lot more... uhm, how should I said it..." She brought a hand to her mouth thoughtfully. "Agreeable?"

I hummed softly. "Mesprit..." I called, gaining her attention. "He talked to me the most, out of everyone on the group. Maybe I could come too?" After all, somebody had to play mediator here between him and our team. Perhaps I could play that role for us.

Mesprit frowned thoughtfully and looked away, considering this.

Kubo suddenly slung an arm around my shoulders, grinning wryly. "I say go with her, if you're brave enough. You can make sure he doesn't do anything fishy."

"Kubo!" Mesprit exclaimed, offended on Azelf's behalf. "He's not a bad pokemon!"

"Sorry, sorry," he unwound his arm from me and held his hands up placatingly, "but still, I think if Moss wants to go, we shouldn't stop him."

"Hmm..." Mesprit grimaced nervously. "I.. suppose Moss and I wouldn't be too many visitors for him to deal with..." she trailed off, turning to look at me seriously, "are you sure you want to come?" I nodded seriously. "Okay," she sighed, "then come on. Let's go."

I looked to my friends briefly, before climbing down Lunala's wing. Kubo and Hunter seemed anxious and frustrated, while Snowflake and Lunala were smiling at me encouragingly. Sakura appeared to be worried about me, though. Meanwhile, Victini appeared to be the only one annoyed about not getting to go inside. She huffed and pouted, crossing her arms, and as I descended below the tree branches and could no longer see my friends, I could hear a distant cry of "this is gonna be so boooringgg!" from her.

I gently jumped down into the grass and looked up. It was even darker down here in the forest than up above, as the moonlight and twinkling of the stars could barely break through the leaves. The only light came from the bioluminescent mushrooms that dotted the area. Mesprit hovered over me anxiously, illuminated by the blue glow of the mushrooms. She turned to me with her glowing amber eyes. Soon i'd be seeing two pairs of eyes like that.

"Alright, Moss... are you ready?"

I nodded. She nodded back. "Let's go, then... it won't take too long, I know where to go." She reached one of her tails out to me, and I blinked at her in confusion. She rolled her eyes. "So you don't get lost, dummy."

I frowned in embarrassment, but took the tail without complaint. I didn't like being tethered around like a child, but I wasn't in the mood to get lost in there with Azelf either. Although that did make me wonder what he would think when he saw me... Last I saw him, he seemed rather embarrassed by my presence. Would he feel the same way this time?

It was dark inside the cave. I had forgotten how dark it was. And it was quiet too. Last time, I had been honed in on the steps of my friends, on their breathing, I had been focusing on making sure none of them got lost or left behind. This time, however, I was just blindly following behind Mesprit. The cave was quiet and ominous, filling me with a strange kind of anxiety.

It felt like I was being watched, that I was unsafe, that we were in danger...

How could Azelf live in this place?

"How do you know where Azelf is?" I asked Mesprit suddenly, trying to fill the empty silence between us.

She jumped minutely, surprised at my voice, as if she had been lost in thought. "Oh... it's not so hard. I can sense him."

I blinked. She could? For some reason I found myself skeptical. They had talked about sensing each other in some situations before, but i had never really thought about it. I frowned. "If you can sense each other so well, then how come he can't tell we're here?" I asked.

Mesprit turned her face back to me so I could see her roll her eyes. "He's not searching for me, of course," she replied snarkily, and looked back ahead of us. I huffed, and fell silent again.

It didn't take long before we found him, just as Mesprit promised. I could hear his presence before I could see him. We turned a corner and there he was, this shifting of air, a slight breeze. Mesprit came to a sudden stop before me and I immediately knew what that meant.

"Azelf!" She cried, waving her tails out of my grasp. I gasped softly, afraid of being lost in the darkness for a moment- before suddenly Azelf turned, and I could see his glowing amber eyes in the dark. I felt a shiver down my spine as they widened in shock.

"Mesprit!" He exclaimed, his voice joyous and excited as he zipped towards Mesprit, and she flew towards him, the two of them meeting in the middle. They embraced excitedly, Azelf lifting Mesprit up a bit to spin her around.

"Weeee!" She squealed excitedly. He brought her back down and the two hugged again, snuggling into each other warmly. For a moment I was almost surprised at how excited they were to see each other- they'd already reunited recently before, but not in person. I could tell that, to them, seeing each other in person was a whole different thing. They were absolutely ecstatic, and it almost shocked me to see Azelf of all people express so much happiness.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" he announced, pulling away a bit so they could look at each other, but their arms were still laced together. "Mesprit, I'm so glad you're okay!" Then his expression fell slightly, concern radiating from his eyes as he began to look over her for injuries. "Are you okay?" he asked nervously, "last I saw you, you could barely move from your bed..."

Mesprit laughed. "Well I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yes, but..."

"You're such an overly concerned brother," she giggled, reaching up to condescendingly pat his head, "I don't need your protection... but you might need mine!"

"Hm?" He frowned in confusion, his eyes narrowing. "Wait- Mesprit!" He gasped, worry flooding his eyes again. "What are you even doing here if you're all better now?! You shouldn't be here! Why haven' you returned to your lake- to the stone-!"

"Now, now!" Mesprit silenced him, placing a hand over his mouth. He blinked incredulously. "I'm here for an important reason! You see, if those beasts had managed to defeat me so easily when they hadn't even been looking for me, then obviously I'm not going to be powerful enough to protect the stone on my own..." she paused for a moment and then gave Azelf a very pointed look, "and neither will you."

He let go of her and floated back a bit to get away from her hand. "What's your point?" He asked, frowning slightly. Mesprit sighed heavily with mock annoyance. Azelf huffed and crossed his arms, I could tell he already knew what he was in for.

"I have not left my stone all alone- I'm not that stupid! No, I brought it with me!" To emphasize her words, she reached into her bag and pulled it out, revealing the soft glow of the round, white, Lunar Stone. It illuminated the room slightly, as if she had just pulled out a small torch. "With the help of my friends, the stone is much better protected now-"

"Gah!" Azelf gasped, appalled at the sight of it. "Mesprit, what are you doing! Put it away, put it away, hide it!"

"Ohhhh, calm down you baby," she grumbled, moving to return it to her bag. But in the shifting of the light, the soft glow finally fell upon me. I could tell because that was the first time Azelf finally looked in my direction. His cold amber eyes gazed into my soul once again, and as the light was quickly snuffed out inside Mesprits bag, I felt a fearful jolt in my heart. Azelf appeared shocked to see me for a moment. But just as quickly all the emotion I had seen in his eyes were suddenly gone.

His mask was back on. The mask I was familiar with... In that moment I fully understood that this really was that same Azelf who attacked me in this very cave all those weeks ago.

I was stock-still as Mesprit followed his gaze to me and then smiled. "Yes, Moss came with me! He came to help convince you-"

"We should move this conversation someplace... safer." Azelf cut her off seriously, his voice empty of emotion. "We don't want to be overheard." Mesprit sighed in exacerbation again, but nodded.

"Alright, alright..." She flew back to me and wrapped a tail around my paw, dragging me along after them through the darkness. I stumbled, a bit too startled to keep up, but caught my footing again.

in the distance I could see a growing light. Soft moonlight painted the cave walls as we turned the corners, growing brighter and warmer as we grew closer to the source of the light. Finally we came out into a huge cavern, illuminated by the Solar Stone and the hole in the ceiling just enough so that Mesprit didn't need to drag me around anymore. She let go of me and I looked around.

Standing at the entrance to the room, I watched as Mesprit and Azelf flew around the open space happily for a moment, as if to stretch after being in such stuffy tunnels. I looked over the lake, where the moonlight of the real moon shone through, down to the glittering waters of the lake. It looked just like it did the last time I was here...

I gripped my bag, stepping down towards the shore of the water. Azelf flew down to me, his expression blank, but his arms were crossed uncomfortably. Mesprit followed suit and tilted her head at him, a curious look on her face.

Azelf sighed and moved his hands to his hips. "So... what's this all really about?"

"We want you to come with us and bring the Solar Stone too!" Mesprit answered him confidently.

"You really expect me to do that? That would be totally insane!" He protested.

Mesprit contested him. "Ah-ah! Don't make your decision too quickly now, Azelf!" She sang, wagging her finger at him. "The whole point of staying apart was to protect the stones- but now it's clear that we cannot keep them safe on our own. We're just not strong enough."

"You're not, maybe..." Azelf growled, clearly offended, but his expression was still very controlled. I couldn't tell exactly how upset he really was.

"Oh? Can you possess every single Ultra Beast that comes at you? Can you really make sure none of them get to the stone before you can stop them?" Mesprit crossed her arms and glared at him openly. She stuck out her tongue childishly at him. "We just aren't strong enough to hold them all back on our own!"

Azelf's eye twitched. he clearly wanted to make some kind of retort, but he held himself back. "So. Why would it be better to do what you say?"

"Because!" Mesprit did a small flip and twirl in the air, her expression bright and happy again all of a sudden. "Not only can the stones be used to empower us to fight off the beasts, but we can also be stronger in a group! With many strong, capable pokemon on our side, there's no way we'll get ambushed and defeated the way I was at my lake."

"Strong?" Azelf scoffed, and turned his cold, controlled expression to me again. I stiffened as he pointed at me. "Forgive me," he started, an uncomfortable look crossig over his face, "but him and his friends would have been easily discarded by me, had you not told me to stop. Surely they're not THAT strong, to be able to actually make a difference against these creatures."

Mesprit's expression soured. "You-!"

"-Point is!" Azelf cut her off and crossed his arms again, a bit uneasy and defensive this time. "I believe it would still be safer to do as our duty says. We should stay hidden and not bring the stones right to the front of the battle- to our enemies."

"Actually..." him pointing to me made me feel the need to finally pipe up, drawing his serious and stubborn gaze over to me. I hesitated a bit nervously but pressed on. "We most certainly are strong enough to keep them away. we've been able to save three of the four Tapu so far- and it's not like they were poorly guarded.." Remembering those fights were not fond memories.

Mesprit nodded, "it's true. Plus..." she twirled demonstrably for him, "you know the two of us are more than twice as strong when we're together. Our powers work so well off each other," she grinned as Azelf reluctantly nodded in agreement to her words, "and it won't even be just us! Our group has grown even more powerful- our teamwork is impeccable now. And if we all work together, then this will all be over! Everyone will be safe to go back to how things were!" she grinned slyly. "For example, you'll be able to get back to being a lonely hermit~"

Azelf silently considered her words, only giving her a small warning glance at her teasing. She giggled and was rather confident with his silence. I wondered what he was thinking. He didn't look quite convinced yet...

His thoughtful expression suddenly hardened. "Are you only doing this because you miss me?" He asked bluntly.

Mesprit's eyes widened. The two stared at each other for a moment. Hurt, she glared at him. "...I do miss you. But I would never let that get in the way of my duty. You know that..." to my alarm, I saw angry tears pearling in the corners of her eyes, "how dare you! Do you really think I'd be so selfish!? You're the stubborn one who refuses to bend the rules even when the world is in danger!" Her whole body shook, her hands raised in angry fists.

His hard expression loosened into a blank frown at that. His gaze fell to the ground. "...If we mess this up, the world will be in much greater danger." he murmured softly.

"You say that like I didn't know that already," Mesprit huffed, wiping her eyes angrily, "I thought it all through while making this plan. It will work."

"Not to mention," I cautiously felt the need to add in again, "even though it might seem crazy... we are much safer in a group..." Azelf turned to me, a bit confused at my intrusion. I hesitated. It felt almost like I was seeing an exchange I wasn't supposed to, but no matter how personal or private their argument might be, I was here to help. So I pressed on, "at least this way, with the two of you together, you would be able to protect Mesprit... if anything were to happen to her again..."

He blinked at me. Something about my words must've reached something within him. He looked up at Mesprit and then over across the lake. He flew up and over the lake without a word, diving into the water without hesitation. Mesprit frowned as she watched him.

"Moss..." She turned back to me with a puzzled look in her eyes. "How did you know that would work?"

I shrugged. It was the one reason he had followed me and my friends back to the guild. It was the reason he had been so worked up that he tried to kill us at the mere mention of her name.

Despite all his blustering about his duty... he wasn't going to sit back and watch as his sister got hurt. Not again.

With a distant splash, Azelf emerged from the lake. He flew back to us and lowered himself down to the ground. Held in his hands, was the Solar Stone. I hadn't gotten the chance to get such a good look at it before. It was warm and bright, its colour was a vibrant orange. It shimmering with glittering yellow speckles. It truly did appear like a tiny star was held in his hands.

Azelf sighed softly. "I.. will come with you," he said. Mesprit's eyes watered and she moved as if to hug him again. He held out a hand to stop her, "but! We'll keep the stones secret... nobody can know we have them with us."

"Of course!" Mesprit cried, her voice even more watery than her face.

Azelf cracked a small grin, "Alright then," and reached one arm out for her. She gratefully accepted, jumping in to wrap her arms around him. He looked at me and his small grin fell from his face, an embarrassed, pouty look replacing it.

I grinned instead, which only made him more displeased.

\---

When we finally emerged from the cave again, it was with Azelf quietly following behind me and Mesprit. I blinked blearily, as we emerged. Even though it was still dark out here in the forest, hidden away from most of the moonlight, I was still shocked to find I could actually see out here. the glowing mushrooms provided enough light for me to see the faces of my friends.

They were all sitting together, mulling about in the grass with Kubo sitting on a fallen tree log. Victini was playing with the glowing mushrooms in an attempt to amuse herself. Hunter, Sakura and Snowflake were all sitting in a circle together talking softly, while Lunala perched in the trees, watching over them and looking around for danger. Even after how long we had been away, she was still on high alert.

"We're back!" I called, drawing their attention. As they all turned to us, immediate shock flew onto their faces. The two pairs of glowing amber eyes was all they needed to know- Azelf was coming with us. The response was rather varied. Hunter cried out in alarm and leapt over the log Kubo was sitting on, hiding behind it and poking his head back out to cautiously watch us. Snowflake tried to smile, but the effort was clearly forced and awkward. Sakura seemed mainly surprised, and perhaps even conflicted, as her expression twisted into a look of unease. Lunala smiled a bit more genuinely as she peered down at us, relieved that we were all okay and things were going as planned.

Kubo frowned and looked away, attempting to appear nonchalant. As if he didn't care at all. I wasn't surprised at all.

I could only imagine the discomfort Azelf was feeling. We hadn't had the time to discuss the awkward situation this allegiance would put him into. I pitied him.

But then Victini was suddenly in our faces, barreling past me to fly up and into Azelfs face. She grabbed ahold of Azelf's hands and shook them vigorously.

"HIYA!" Victini announced excitedly, "You're Mesprit's brother, right?" She beamed at him.

Azelf blinked, his eyes owlishly wide. He seemed almost confused. "Yes... I am."

"I'm Victini! The victory pokemon! With me here, there's no way we can lose!" She landed on the ground to put a hand on her hip confidently, the other raised with her fingers held up in a peace sign. Azelf stared down at her with wide eyes. Victini hesitated, wondering why he wasn't saying anything. "Uhm... Oh! It's nice to meet you! I've heard a lot about you, Azelf."

He nodded at that, and if her sweet smile was anything to go by, she was satisfied with that.

"Well," Mesprit said uncomfortably, "I've put the Solar Stone next to mine in my bag. We should hurry. After all... Tapu Fini's shrine is quite far away."

"Right, right," Snowflake said seriously, standing up and walking up to us. "It's... It's good having you on the team." She inclined her head a bit hesitantly at Azelf. He blankly stared back at her, and she nervously turned away from him. "Anyway! Do you know the way to go, Lunala?" She hastily asked.

Lunala nodded, oddly looking more relaxed now. "I do! It should take us a little while to get there, but no longer than a day or two."

Hunter emerged from his hiding place, and I could see him trembling nervously. "A day or two...?"

Kubo looked over to him and shrugged. He seemed to be almost pouting. Despite agreeing to let Azelf come along (and also begrudgingly agreeing not to constantly antagonize him), it was clear Kubo wanted to make it as obvious as possible about how unhappy he was. He was lethargic, remaining stubbornly sat on the log as we collected our things in preparation of leaving.

We were all very quiet, until Lunala spoke up again. "Alright... we'd best be off before we're seen here."

"Great!" Mesprit cheered, obviously feeling a bit uncomfortable from the tension within the entire team. "Then let's go!"

\---

To my displeasure, the journey was indeed a long one. Yet it didn't take long for the temperature to start dropping, even as the sun had risen and hung above us- it stubbornly hid behind overcast clouds. From my perch on Lunala's back, I freed one of my arms to hug myself. It wasn't much help.

Why did Tapu Fini need to live in such a cold area? First Tapu Bulu, now this? It was just one extreme to the other.

"Oof-" I let out, as a warm body suddenly collided with me from behind. I looked down to find fuzzy cream arms wrapped around me. I turned my head to see Victini smiling at me.

"You're shivering," she informed me pleasantly. "A nice hug should warm you up!" She continued with a chirp. I nodded.

"Uhm... thanks," I stuttered awkwardly, looking around at the others. Kubo was grinning at me in amusement. I caught a strange look on Snowflake's face as she watched me. I wasn't sure what it was... Sadness? But as she noticed my gaze, she quickly looked away again.

How strange...

During the entire flight, Azelf had been silent. Besides his small response to Victini upon emerging from the cave, he hadn't said a word. I wasn't surprised. Most of the team was clearly feeling a bit awkward. The usual relaxed chatter that we would share was now silenced. Even still, I could clearly feel their presence- Azelf didn't seem to even share the tense unease that everyone else did. In fact, if I didn't look back to make sure, I could even forget that he was here at all.

I wondered what he was thinking...

It was a good few hours later that the sun began to set in the west. The sky slowly began to darken. "We've been flying for a long time," Mesprit's voice called out to Lunala, "we should be looking for a place to stay for rest, soon." She flew up to fly alongside Lunala's head, peering at her with a slightly uneasy expression. Mesprit had looked like that ever since we left the cave.

"That's okay, Mesprit." Lunala replied, not taking her eyes away from the air in front of her. "This is how I can help... I can get us there a lot faster if we don't take a break." My eyes widened at that. She sounded determined and insistent, but... Something about Lunala's words seemed almost insecure.

"Absolutely not!" Mesprit cried indignantly. For some reason I felt relief at her protests. "We won't go any faster if you're tired! Not to mention how cold it gets in the north at night. We all need rest if we're going to make it through to the shrine."

"We'll be fine..." Lunala's voice was softer now, there was less fight in it.

"Moss is freezing!" Mesprit barked.

Lunala paused at that. I tensed. I did not ask to be brought into this. It took a long moment before Lunala finally responded. "Ah... Alright Mesprit. We'll take a break for the night... Can you find any place...?"

"There aren't any towns coming up anytime soon," Mesprit sighed thoughtfully. I wondered where we would stay... we had been able to camp out before, but that was in the more tropical areas. What would we do with it so cold..?

"There!" Snowflake called over the whistle of the winds. Mesprit turned in surprise to see where she was pointing with her paw. "That mountain!" Snowflake continued, "It's bound to have a cave somewhere... we should take shelter there, it'll get even colder as the night goes on."

"Ah!" Mesprit gasped in realization, "that would work... Lunala?"

"Don't worry." She turned her head back, finally prying her eyes away from her path to smile encouragingly back at us. "I'll find us a place we all can fit, no sweat!"

She took us down to the mountain, keeping a far enough distance from it to remain unseen in the darkening sky. The clouds were beginning to gather even thicker though, and I found myself afraid it would snow. What if there was a blizzard? It had been a very long time since I had to deal with snow... I tensed under Victini's warm arms at the thought. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep tonight if it would be that cold...

"There!" Sakura called, peering over Lunala's shoulder down at the mountainside. "That looks like a big tunnel entrance, doesn't it?"

"Let's go down and see," Snowflake said, hope ignited in her voice.

Lunala descended, and to our luck it was a huge towering ice cavern, the entrance packed a bit tighter from the snow that had built along it's edges, but it would definitely be big enough for Lunala. We had found it- the place we would stay for the night. We landed just outside, and Lunala let us all off her back so we could make our ways inside on our own. Kubo and Hunter remained silent and tense, although I could tell it was for different reasons. Hunter was anxious... Kubo was just being stubborn.

As much as Victini had frustrated us at first, she proved herself useful now. She was able to make a campfire in the center of the room simply using the few dried tree branches that had fallen along the outside of the cave, and we all circled around it to stay warm. Small groups of us murmured together into the evening.

Snowflake, Hunter and I sat together, with Victini kindly continuing to hold onto me to keep me warm. She watched everyone with an optimistic energy the rest of us did not share, but at least she didn't intrude on me and my friends' conversation. Kubo sat a little ways away from us, his arms crossed and his eyes stubbornly focused on the flames of the fire. Sakura sat with Mesprit, who spoke quietly with her about something I didn't bother listening in on. Azelf sat next to Mesprit, but didn't say a word. Lunala blanketed herself along the back wall, watching us quietly, her eyes heavy lidded. I didn't blame her for being exhausted. The flight had been so long.

Then, we started to eat our dinners, as Snowflake picked the food out of our bags and handed them around to each of us, one by one. Darkness had quickly fallen.

Just as I had predicted, a huge blizzard rolled in that night. We didn't say it, but I could sense the tension within everyone. We were all worrying about how long we might end up stuck here. Hopefully it would be over by the end of the night.

We had only just begun to eat when Victini pulled away from me. She smiled at me with her large blue eyes. "Hey, Moss, do you mind if I go talk to the new guy for a while?" Her voice was softer than it usually was. I was almost surprised she had asked me at all.

"Y-yeah, it's alright, I'm not gonna freeze," I replied awkwardly, "it just depends on if HE minds."

"Cool!" She beamed, and lifted up into the air to flutter over the fire and plop down on the ground directly in front of Azelf. He jolted a bit in shock and stared at her with wide eyes. "Hi Azelf," she tilted her head, "so, tell me about yourself! What do you think about our adventure? We're going to save the world together!"

Azelf stared at her wordlessly. I wasn't sure if he was bothered by her presence or simply hadn't gotten over the shock yet. There was something about his controlled expression that almost reminded me of the Guildmaster.

"It sucks that our first stop together was so booooring!" Victini continued in hopes of inspiring a laugh from him. "To just sit and wait inside a cave is horrible!"

"I don't know why you bother talking to him, Vivi," Kubo suddenly abandoned his silent treatment to glare over at the two of them. Victini turned and blinked at him cluelessly. "You want to know more about him? Well there's lots to tell," he hmphed and curled in on himself, "first, there's his cruel behavior. I still can't understand how someone as sweet as Mesprit could be related to... well, you know." He gestured vaguely. "I mean, if she hadn't stopped him in time... we would all be dead... and in such a horrible way..."

From his spot next to me, Hunter watched Kubo and nodded hesitantly, but he clearly didn't like his antagonistic behaviour. "Kubo..." he protested weakly, his ears pressing against his head.

"Well it's true," Kubo grumbled, "I'm not going to pretend that things are all buddy-buddy with someone who tried to kill me."

"Stop it!" Mesprit put her food down and lifted from the ground. Now everyone in the cave was watching this exchange. From behind her, I could see Azelf turn to her in what looked like shock, but I wasn't sure. He opened his mouth as if in protest, but said nothing as she stormed over to where Kubo was sitting. Kubo uncurled slightly, intimidated and fearful of her disapproval. "You have no clue what you're talking about!"

"But-"

"He was worried sick about me for what must've been weeks! He didn't sleep for days because he was so upset, thinking he could've done something to save me, wondering if I was slowly dying alone or not!" There was such a sudden and fierce rage on her face, her four antenna raising up threateningly. Kubo paled and leaned back away from her. "Yes he lashed out at you, yes that was wrong- but that's not who he is! He's NOT a MONSTER!"

Kubo opened his mouth to speak again but she glared sharply at him, cutting him off without words.

"That's what your problem is. You're too young. You're a brash, young little boy who doesn't bother to think about responsibility. How much this duty we have can weigh on us." She growled dangerously. I could see a flash of hurt across Kubo's face at her words. "You don't know me any more than you know him, you know. You don't know ANYTHING about me! Suuuure, I'm not as serious as he is, sure you all saved my life, but that doesn't mean I'm weak or harmless!" She said snidely.

"I never said you were-!"

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?" Mesprit roared, her rage exploding again. Everyone in the cave flinched. Kubo stared in horror. Something about his expression told me he wasn't afraid of her... not quite...

"I am the embodiment of emotions. I can sense every emotion, every feeling, always, no matter who, and no matter how much they try to hide it." I didn't think Kubo's eyes could get any wider. "I can do what no other empath pokemon can do. No... I don't just feel them." Mesprit tilted her head up in a way that was very reminiscent of Serperior, looking down her nose at him. She snarled and her tails lashed, her hands were held tight behind her back.

"I can take them away. All of them. I could make you a shell, empty. I can mess with them, twist them around, make them whatever I want. I could add new ones in if I wanted. You have NO idea how many intruders with bad intentions that I wiped. How many that died... because of me." Her rage broke for a moment, a sudden weight on her shoulders. She lifted a hand and wiped at her temple. "I hate needing to hurt anyone, even pokemon that intend to cause trouble... but it is my duty." She straightened herself out again and frowned seriously. A determined look flared in her eye. "My job is to protect my stone. No matter what. Whatever it takes, I have to do it. Azelf is the same."

She peered down at Kubo, waiting for a response. He was much slower in supplying one this time. "I..." he struggled, his mouth opening and closing helplessly. He blinked hard, and grimaced. Despite his inability to respond, it seems that he was feeling what Mesprit wanted, as she sighed heavily, tension leaving her body. She turned and began to fly back over to where Azelf was sitting. Azelf watched her with a much less surprised expression than before. Was this... typical of her?

"Azelf made a mistake with you. But he is a good guardian... he's not a monster. I won't hear any more of this." She turned back to Kubo before gently landing back on the ground. "Got it?"

Shakily, Kubo nodded. Satisfied, Mesprit turned away, pouting almost childishly. Silence fell over the cave, harsh and awkward and fearful. All eyes were still on the two of them. Sakura looked at Mesprit oddly, her ears drooped sadly as she watched her.

Slowly, Kubo stumbled to his feet... and moved away from us. He sat himself down by the entrance, resting his chin on his hands, looking out into the blizzard. He had a lot to think about... or perhaps he was simply moping some more.

"Haahhh...." Hunter sighed anxiously. I turned to him curiously, only to find him trembling nervously.

"Hunter..?" I asked, my own voice surprisingly weak. I wasn't so sure how to feel about this myself. I supposed what she said had made sense... but I had never seen Mesprit act like that before...

Hunter shook his head and buried himself in my side. I leaned back a bit in surprise, but quickly looped an arm around him wordlessly. I could tell he was confused and scared. No matter whether Azelf was a monster or not... he still hurt us, Mesprit knew that. He had shaken each of us to our core. She knew it would be hard for us to handle this...

I looked at Azelf. While his eyes were still wide and unreadable, a small smile fluttered onto his expression as Mesprit looked at him. She smiled brightly at that. She shifted closer to him to hold him affectionately.

Victini awkwardly looked back and forth between Kubo and the two lake guardians. She was frowning in concern, clearly a bit off-put by everything that had happened. "Ah..." She raised a hand as if to speak to Azelf again, but Sakura started at the sound of her voice and shook her head. Victini clamped her mouth shut, to my surprise. She must've been quite confused by all this.

Hesitantly, she lifted up and flew back over to me. Finding me occupied with Hunter, she sat down between me and Snowflake. "Are you cold..?" She asked me, her voice distant like she was thinking about something else.

I shrugged. "I'm okay," I smiled weakly, "but, uhm..." I struggled to come up with something to talk about anything but what had just transpired. It was all too raw, everyone was still digesting it. Something, something, anything... just to ease the tension.

But I didn't know anything about Victini... what could I even ask?

At that thought, my eyes widened at the realization. "Hey Vivi... hehe, uhm- tell me- can you tell me about yourself?" I scratched at the back of my head with my free hand and laughed awkwardly. Victini stared at me. "I mean- how did you end up... here?"

"Huh..? Oh," she blinked in realization, "well... I'm not exactly from here, you know that." I nodded. At my side, Hunter lifted his head out from my side to peer over at Victini curiously. So he had been listening. "I was born on an island very far away. We didn't stay there long though! I don't consider anywhere to be my home, not really." She was already becoming more animated again, clearly she enjoyed talking about herself.

"That's kind of sad, isn't it?" Snowflake asked softly.

"Sad?" Victini turned to her curiously. "It's not sad at all! Us Victini always stick together! Our home is each other! Other pokemon could try to use us, so we always stick together, we can only really trust each other." She said matter-of-factly, as if the pokemon sitting around this fire with her were also a bunch of Victini.

Where there was no easy understanding and agreement of her words, Victini finally seemed to realize what she had said. "Oh! But- that's just what my mother always told me. I was never really interested in being timid or careful or any of that- in fact I'm the opposite!"

"So you're a troublemaker, then," Snowflake said dryly.

"No surprise there," Hunter added with a cautious, yet amused, smile. I chuckled at his jibe, with only made him brighten up further.

Victini huffed, though. "You say that like it's a bad thing! If I was careful and scared of the world like everyone else, I wouldn't be here saving the world with you!"

"But..." I said slowly, "you're still alone, aren't you? How did you get separated from your family?"

Victini's indignance faded, and a softer, more quiet frown shifted onto her face. I wasn't sure I had ever seen her quite so thoughtful before. "I always tried to do my own thing... and that's not a bad thing!" She insisted suddenly as if we would scold her. "But... its not so good when you get caught and nobody comes to help..." She frowned down in frustration at her hands in her lap. Then she looked up suddenly, puffing herself up again. "But that's why it's great to be a team! You guys are brave and not afraid of anything, and we can work together!" It sounded almost like she was telling it to herself rather than us.

"Was it... the beasts?" Snowflake asked softly.

Victini was cut short in her ranting. She turned to Snowflake in confusion for a moment, before understanding lit up in her eyes and she shook her head. "No... It was a gang of thieves. They wanted to use me to help them find treasures, and get out of scrapes. I always thought the world couldn't possibly be so bad as the others made it out to be." She seemed almost angry at that statement.

"Hm... I'm surprised that didn't scare you away from the world." Hunter said, all fear gone from his voice as he frowned over at her.

Victini shook her head. "They were bad! Bad pokemon... not normal pokemon. We were always being chased, they were always making me empower them to get away from the rescue teams that were trying to stop them. Well I'm nobody's puppet- I do things my own way!" She grinned proudly and crossed her arms. "So I sabotaged them, and a nice rescue team was able to catch them and free me!"

Hunter grinned along with her, and I too couldn't help but be relieved to hear that. "So... with that you were free to get back to your family." I concluded.

"But- did you know where they were anymore?" Snowflake cut in with concern.

Victini frowned, but nodded slowly. "Yes... but that was a few years ago now. I had just traced them again, when I got captured by those beasts. I think they had been following me- wanted to wait so they could catch all of us together." She pouted at that thought. "Now they'll be long gone again! It's really stupid!"

"So..." Hunter bit his lip, "you've been alone? All that time?"

To my surprise, Victini nodded. "Yeah. Not like I needed any help! Anyone else would probably just get in the way of what I wanted! But... it WAS sort of lonely." Despite the sad nature of her words, her voice was tight, sounding more irritated by her loneliness than anything else.

Snowflake frowned, shifting closer to lean against her side. Victini blinked up at her.

Following her lead, Hunter stood, slinking behind me. He sat himself down between Victini and me. He smiled softly at her, before cautiously offering her a hug. She frowned confusedly at him for a moment, perplexed by his compassion, before shrugging. She wrapped both arms around him happily, a smile stretching across her face as she did so.

My heart was warm watching them comfort her... I almost didn't notice the chill in the room. I smiled softly, turning my gaze back to Mesprit only to find that she too was watching the embrace. She sat next to Azelf with a soft, pleased look on her face. She seemed rather content now, which unnerved me slightly, considering her previous outburst. But I was glad I had been able to shift the mood somewhat.

Azelf, on the other hand, had a sort of thoughtful look on his face as he watched us. I knew he could tell Victini was new to our group too. She was new to him, and perhaps he hadn't expected her to be new to us too. I wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking... but his eyes remained trained on Victini.

Snowflake and Hunter pulled away to give her some space. "Thanks," she said with a bright shameless smile. It as only a moment later that she bounded back over to me in order to keep me warm again. Was my shivering that obvious? But no matter what she was doing, Azelf's eyes remained on her.

To my shock- he started to lift off the ground. The atmosphere of the room became somewhat tense again, everybody noticing his movement. We watched as he flew over the campfire, approaching me and Victini with a blank, contemplative look on his face. Hunter squeaked and shied away. As Azelf came closer and closer, Hunter back up more and more, before finally losing face and running away, fleeing towards Lunala. He hid himself underneath her wings, and she confusedly looked down at him, unsure of what kind of protection he was expecting.

Azelf ignored him, his eyes solely locked on Victini. She noticed, her smile slipping off to match his blank, thoughtful look. "Victini..." He said softly, carefully considering his words. She lit up a bit at the acknowledgement. "Being separated from your family... it's not easy. But even though you were once again snatched away- do not give up."

"Huh?" She tilted her head confusedly. To my disbelief, at that reply, he actually smiled. It was small, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

"Every experience we have is one we can learn from. Even our failings can bring us closer to our goal. Do not give up, and you will find them." He finished his words with a slight nod of his head.

Victini frowned... before smiling widely again. "Woah... you know, you're nice! Thank you!" She jumped to her feet and then into the air- there was no time for Azelf to do much more than gasp. Victini tackled him to the ground, her arms wrapped around his middle in a sudden hug. "You're so sweet! I promise I'll never give up!"

Azelf choked, his eyes bulging as he tensely lied in Victini's arms. I turned and saw Hunter watching with a fearful look in his eye, as if any sudden movement would send Azelf into a violent rage. Instead of fighting her off, however, Victini let him go easily and smiled at him. He sat himself up and rubbed the side of his head, watching her warily. "...Good." He said awkwardly, his face distinctly more red now. Victini beamed.

Mesprit grinned in amusement as Azelf made his way back to her side. The tension loosened, as he sat down next to her and crossed his arms, in a way that almost reminded me of Kubo. At that, Sakura giggled, inciting Mesprit, Lunala and Snowflake to do the same. Hearing the laughter, Hunter smiled nervously and began to crawl out from behind Lunala's wing. Lunala carefully moved her wing to let him out. I grinned and sighed, leaning back and putting my paws on the ground. Finally, I had a hint that this would sort itself out eventually.

Who knew Victini would actually be useful here?

\---

It must've been a few hours later that we had all decided to turn in and get some sleep. Kubo slept a little ways away from the group, but even he had settled down and drifted off, without sharing a word with anybody. I laid awake, though. For some reason... I wasn't sleepy at all. I stretched my arms out to my sides, looking up at the ceiling of the cave. It wasn't the cold that kept me up... no, my mind was racing.

I wondered how to feel about Mesprit and Azelf... I felt like I knew them, that I had a deeper understanding of them than most pokemon would... and yet somehow, to know that Mesprit had done to other pokemon what Azelf could've done to us... for some reason, it made me realize that there really was a barrier between them and regular pokemon. They were... different. Held to different standards...

I couldn't deny that I was a bit shocked. The Mesprit I knew was kind, a bit mischievous and teasing, but also determined too... She had been Lunala's friend, and thus I had felt a protectiveness of Mesprit early on, a need to protect her like I would Lunala. ...I don't think any of us imagined that she could ever do the things Azelf did. I shivered at the thought of his bright amber eyes in the dark.

..The same eyes that had painfully looked at me that first night Mesprit woke up...

I groaned and pressed the heel of my hand over my eye. My train of thought was exhausting, and yet I still couldn't get any sleep. What could Kubo be thinking of this...?

"Moss?"

I started and slowly turned to my side. Snowflake moved, raising her head up to look at me. I blinked at her, lowering my arm. Slowly, a crooked grin stretched across my face. "Sorry. I can't sleep... I have a lot on my mind."

She smiled back, and I could see understanding in her eyes. Snowflake sat up, raising her gaze to peer out the cave entrance at the darkness and cold that raged outside. I rolled up to sit next to her, following her gaze.

"...It's been so long since we've been alone together like this." She said, and I was surprised to hear that. So startled that it took me a moment to realize the truth of her statement.

"Yes..." I nodded, "I... even though we've been together this whole time... I've been sort of... missing you." I hoped that didn't sound awkward.

Snowflake seemed surprised at that. Oh no. It was awkward wasn't it?

She smiled. "I've missed you too..." Oh! She did? My anxiety faded, a warm feeling blooming in my chest.

Snowflake softly smiled, keeping her gaze away from me as she spoke again. "Not that I mind having so many others here to help us... but I do.. sometimes miss the time when it was just us, us and..." she turned and I followed her eyes to Kubo, curled up and sleeping miserably on his own, "and Kubo... I didn't expect there to be so many of us."

I laughed softly, but there wasn't much enthusiasm in it. "Me neither."

We both continued to watch Kubo for a moment, before slowly Snowflake shifted, and I moved my eyes back to the snow. For some reason I struggled to look her directly in the eyes. "...I hope everything will be okay." Snowflake sighed, an anxiety and worry in her tone that made me want to shift closer to her. Comfort her. But instead I lowered my gaze to the ground.

"Me too," I murmured.

Silence fell over us again. I cursed myself for being so useless in this conversation. But there had been so much... what could I even say? There was so much to say, I didn't know where to start...

"I admit- I never expected any of this. I would have never imagined that I'd fall into this big adventure when I found you knocked out in the snow!" Snowflake laughed, and the nostalgic smile on her face made me feel warm again. It gave me the courage to look at her properly.

"I'm sorry if-"

"No! No..." She shook her head, laughing under her breath. She met my gaze and I couldn't help but smile at that. "It's been... nice. To see so many places, and meet so many pokemon. I never really knew much of the world besides my home..." She paused, a softness in her gaze that I hadn't realized I missed so much. I missed seeing it directed at me like that. "I'm glad I can see it now. Even despite everything else..."

"Hmmm.." I leaned back on my paws and tilted my head at her. "I'm glad you're here too."

She looked away, a soft blush on her cheeks. "Thanks... it seems our meeting wasn't an accident, then."

I nodded, looking away myself. I hadn't realized how much I missed this. This was... easy. I hadn't expected it to be so easy...

"So... What do you think of Azelf and... and Mesprit?" I asked, and for some reason all my anxiety on the topic had calmed. I leaned closer to Snowflake as he hummed, considering her reply. She didn't seem at all bothered either.

"Well... I don't think it was right for Mesprit to lash out as she did." Snowflake frowned angrily. I knew if Mesprit were awake, she'd be getting quite the speech. I grinned. "Not only did she frighten Hunter, but... Kubo..." her expression softened sadly.

"...He wasn't exactly being welcoming like he promised..." I said slowly.

Snowflake shook her head. "None of us have been... as kindly as we should be. They're just doing their jobs- both Azelf and Mesprit. They have to protect the stones to protect the world, and sometimes that can lead to difficult decisions... I can understand that. But... they're not like us, Moss."

She turned to look at me and I stared back. Her words brought back that cold, lost feeling I had had before. "What... do you mean..?"

"I..." she sighed, "They don't know what it's like to be on the other side. Even though Mesprit was hurt, and we helped her... she always had a pride in her, did you notice?"

I nodded. Snowflake hummed and looked away.

"She can't accept... that she could be the one that got hurt. Sure, she doesn't like using her ability to manipulate emotions... but that fear... that terror at being faced with a being that you cannot resist..."

"Kubo... she couldn't understand why he was so upset with Azelf." I supplied gently.

Snowflake nodded. "Yes! Exactly... To her, battle and fighting to the death, that's all... pretty normal." Such an idea made my chest feel cold. I frowned and watched as Snowflake raised he eyes back to the billowing winds outside. "But that's not normal to us. Not just Kubo... She knows how we feel- she can read us... but I think she got frustrated at us for feeling this way. She doesn't want us to be... to be..."

"Traumatized," I smiled weakly in an attempt to amuse her.

Snowflake giggled. "Well- maybe I wouldn't put it that far-"

"But it's not wrong either!" I laughed softly and she joined me, curling in towards me and I did the same. Even though the subject matter was harsher than I would have expected... it was easy to talk with her about.

As we calmed again, Snowflake smiled softly down at out feet. "Still... we can't help feeling how we feel. it was wrong for her to get so mad at him, even if he was being a jerk... He cares very much about her. If she can read his feelings she should've cared more about them."

I couldn't help but reach out and hold her shoulder at that. She looked up at me curiously. I felt my face get warm. "Well- that's why us regular pokemon need to stick together, right?"

Snowflake grinned, amusement in her eyes. "You're not very normal, though, Moss."

"Wha- hey-" I stuttered, "well- all the more reason to try and get along with the weirdos, right?"

She laughed, and I softly laughed with her. As we laughed, I wrapped my arm around her more, holding her against me in a hug. She was cool to the touch, just as she always was. Yet I felt no chill, in fact I was warm, sitting next to her and watching the snow. The storm was just out of reach... but in here we were safe.

When we finally dozed off to sleep, I felt safe.


	18. Chapter 18

"Moss! Mooooosss! Stop being so lazy!"

The blizzard had calmed by the time I woke up. Sunlight shone weakly through the bright white overcast sky, but it was enough to tell us it was morning.

"Moss! Seriously, you're being ridiculous!" The chill of the room, along with Sakura's voice, finally managed to break through the haze of sleep. I groaned weakly from the cold, shivering slightly as I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Sakura pouted down at me, her tail waving restlessly. "You always manage to sleep in, you know that Moss?" She grinned, her voice light and playful.

I groaned again and pulled myself up, sitting with the shoulders hunched up and shivering. I looked around the cave at everyone to see what they were up to. Snowflake looked back at me from my side, she seems to have been woken up already but she seemed almost as drowsy I felt. Perhaps we had stayed up talking together a bit too long...

I turned towards the entrance of the cave and found Lunala there, stretching her wings and craning her neck. Standing beneath her huge shadow was Hunter and Vicini, looking up at Azelf and Mesprit, as the latter discussed things with Lunala. They seemed to be paying closer attention to her than Lunala was though. As if she had sensed my gaze, Lunala blinked, turned to see me, and smiled. I grinned and waved back.

"...And it will probably be guarded by...." Mesprit seemed to have a renewed determination inside her, her expression stern as she rambled on about our future moves. She gestured passionately with her arms. Azelf watched her with rapt attention, but besides that showed no signs that he agreed or disagreed with her.

"Hey Sakura..." Snowflakes voice brought me back to myself, and I turned back to the two girls who were gathered by me. "Where's Kubo? I don't see him with the others..."

Sakura winced awkwardly. "Ah. Yeah... he's still not very happy about... everything. He's out there somewhere, it probably wouldn't take too much to find him."

"Hm..." Snowflake replied noncommittally, a frown on her face. Silence fell over us and she stared down at her paws, deep in thought.

I looked between her and Sakura. Sakura still seemed to be feeling a bit awkward... I wondered what she thought of everything that happened. "Sakura- how do you feel about... all that stuff Mesprit said?"

She winced, as if she had anticipated my question. She turned her head to the side, her mouth open but no words coming out. "I-... I'm not sure. Truthfully, everybody in the valley knew not to invade her space, but that was out of respect more than anything else... I don't feel surprised or anything that she has fearsome power, but she never intended for us to fear her, you know?"

I nodded. Sakura sighed and worried her lip. "Azelf wasn't like that, though... from what you told me, he had chased all pokemon away from the nearby settlement and from the cave as well."

"Oh... that's true," I said softly, and Sakura's words also prompted Snowflake to raise her head again.

"You... don't think they can be compared as easily as she did yesterday?" Snowflake asked, her words slow and cautious.

Sakura nodded, but then hesitated and shrugged. "I guess so. I... I feel like they do their jobs very differently... Azelf... I'm not sure whether we can trust him yet, even though I trust Mesprit-"

"Hey!" A voice cut her off and we all collectively jolted spinning around to see Victini waving at us from the mouth of the cave. "Come on out! No more dilly-dallying, we have to get going!"

"Ah- right!" Snowflake jumped to her feet, and Sakura and I scrambled to follow her. "I have to go collect Kubo." Snowflake said seriously.

"Alright, but be quick about it!" Victini said bossily, but the wide smile on her face removed any annoyance I would've otherwise felt about being bossed around by her.

"Right," Snowflake nodded and rushed off, calling out Kubo's name to coax him back to us.

I looked at Sakura as she stood by my side, and then looked back at Victini. "So... what's the plan?"

"Mesprit wants us to get to the shrine as fast as possible, so we'll eat breakfast while we fly," Victini said matter-of-factly, "Lunala wants us to be prepared for any danger though, so she isn't in as much of a hurry."

I nodded. "So... what do you think we should do?"

"I think we should go as quickly as possible!" She replied, putting her hands on her hips rather proudly. "With my help there's no way we can lose!"

"Right," Sakura said with a shake of her head, "the last time we fought Ultra Beasts, we were working well as a team... considering what happened last night, I'm not so sure we'll all be working well together."

"Huh?" Victini furrowed her brows, turning to Sakura in surprise, "what do you mean? I thought we all got along pretty well last night!"

"W-well," I stuttered, "maybe most of us started getting along a bit better near the end. But Kubo is still upset."

Victini waved a hand at me carelessly. "Psssh! He'll be fine! He's always mumbling and grumbling about something, but he always jumps back to the jokes eventually!" I frowned at Victini sternly at her words, but she didn't seem to notice- or care. Instead, movement caught her gaze, and she turned to see Snowflake returning to us, with Kubo in tow. "See? There he is, right as rain!" Victini announced, clapping her hands together cheerily.

Kubo's head snapped up at her voice and realized in mortification that everyone was looking at him now. His eyes darted between all of us, his expression open and anxious, until he closed up and a stony pokerface replaced the wide-eyed vulnerability.

"On second thought..." He huffed and turned as if he was going to go back to wherever Snowflake fetched him from.

"Kubo, no!" Snowflake insisted, "come on, come be with me and Moss... you said that'd be okay..."

Kubo huffed, looking back a her. "...fine." He turned back around again and followed her over to me, Sakura and Victini.

"Hey," Snowflake said with an awkward smile, "we all ready to go?"

"Hi Kubo," Victini waved at him cluelessly. He pouted back at her.

"Hmph."

"Hey everybody," Hunter appeared, walking up to us to smile a bit shyly now that he saw everyone was together. I smiled at him and he seemed to grow a bit more confident seeing that. He set his shoulders back and lifted his head higher. "Mesprit said- well she said- that we should get going once everybody is together again. Should we...?"

I nodded, which seemed to surprise him. "Yeah... I don't think there's much else we can do here... and the flight will still be a long way. We'll be alright."

"Okay," Hunter smiled.

Victini cheered excitedly. "Then let's go!"

\---

The wind was even colder up here, whipping past us like thin strips of burning ice. it was a few hours later that we finally began drawing near to the place on the old Corviknight's map. I was dying for us to get there. Even with Victini shielding me, I was still shivering violently, curled up in a small little ball in hopes of shielding myself from the cold.

Why, oh why did Tapu Fini have to live in the frozen north?

"Ah! We're here!" Lunala announced, slowing in her flight and yelling back at us over the ear piercing whistling of the wind. "The Northern Sea!"

The group of us all peeked over her shoulder to look down at the shoreline. It wasn't much of a beach- there was snow and ice lining the shore and cold water was eerily still, sitting quietly against the frozen rocks and earth. Lunala landed on the beach and lowered her wings for us to get down.

We jumped down and looked around. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary around. No huge shrine, no large building with pillars, no vortex or Ultra Beasts guarding the area. Was this really the right place? All I could see was the ocean stretching out towards the horizon, and the barren, snowy landscape that had preceded us.

Kubo moved a little ways away from the group. He stood up tall and raised a hand to shade his eyes, looking far out towards the ocean. "So... The shrine is underwater?" He asked.

Lunala nodded. "That's... what the map said."

He harrumphed and crossed his arms. "How are we going to know where exactly to look?"

I couldn't help but second his question. There was a lot of shoreline here. How were we going to find what we were looking for..?

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, the wind was suddenly blown out of me by a swift kick in my stomach, throwing me aside into a nearby snowbank.

"Moss!"

I could distantly hear Snowflake's voice as I dizzily shook my head, prying my eyes open with a groan. Fuzzily, I could see something white darting towards me- it was tall and thin and it was going to hit me again! I shut my eyes in anticipation-

"EEAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

To my shock, it was not my own scream, but the voice of the attacker. My eyes shot open and I could see the intruder more clearly now.

It was an Ultra Beast, no doubt about that. It was a huge insectoid creature, and it's voice was equally inhuman. It had fallen to its knees, knocked down by a quick and efficient attack done by Azelf. Needless to say, all of us were gaping at him and the beast in shock. Azelf stared down at the beast coldly, his expression serious and controlled.

"REAAAAAAAHH!" A chorus of similar beastly voices cried out, and suddenly we were surrounded by a number of similar-looking beasts. They moved so fast...! It was an ambush!

"Pheromosa!" Lunala cried breathlessly, "I should've known they'd be waiting- I'm so sorry!"

As if set off by her voice, the ambush attacked. It must have been about seven of them- it didn't take long for us to get overwhelmed. Each of us tried to fight one on our own.

Spurred on by the confusion, the fallen Pheromosa growled and spun on its heel, kicking its leg up in an attempt to sideswipe Azelf. He dodged it quickly, but the Pheromosa was fast too- it followed after him and managed to land a punch to his body. Despite its fist being about the size of his body, it didn't seem to be able to hit with its hands as well as its legs. He shook it off easily.

I scrambled out of my spot in the snowbank, distracting a Pheromosa away from its intended target- Vicitni. I spat a bullet seed at the back of its head, inciting its wrath as it turned back and narrowed its eyes at me. I took a hesitant step back. In my brief moment of hesitation, I scanned the rest of my friends.

Sakura and Mesprit were fighting two Pheromosa together, distracting them away from Lunala, who seemed a bit overwhelmed, or perhaps simply anxious, as she had a frightened, helpless look in her eyes. Snowflake and Kubo were individually fighting on their own, as was Hunter, although I couldn't see him. He was invisible, hidden within an illusion. Yet he was fighting, and there was a Pheromosa who appeared to be scrambling to fight against a ghost, unable to see where the attacks were coming from.

Victini was easily taking on two all on her own, which wasn't too surprising- she was strong in her own right and if these things were as bug-like as they appeared, fire would do well against them. And indeed, they seemed quite averse to her fire moves, although she still seemed a bit overwhelmed by the speed with which they moved.

So much had happened in very little time, but as it saw my distraction, the Pheromosa I had attacked suddenly struck. It shot at me with fearsome speed and kneed me in the stomach, shooting me back. I coughed up spit and was flung back. I wasn't totally off -guard this time though, as I caught myself before I landed. I managed to lighten the fall by curling up into a ball, rolling back until I could stop the momentum.

'Well, this works out for me,' I thought wryly, turning the momentum around and using rollout on the Pheromosa, who had been blindly chasing after me. I hit it hard- squarely in the face, sending it back where it came. It landed hard on its knees and I didn't stop, shooting a second, stronger rollout at it.

"REEAAAAHHH!" It cried angrily, glaring at me and changing tactic.

Based on its past moves, I didn't think it could use anything besides physical moves. But it surprised me with a silver wind, whistling through the cold, frozen air and slashing at me. I uncurled from my rollout with a gasp.

With a victorious look on its face, the Pheromosa stumbled to its feet and raised a foot as if it intended to stomp on me like a bug.

"Waah!" I managed to roll to my side out to the way. It glared viciously and quickly moved to follow after me. There was no way I was going to be able to out speed it!

"EEAAH!" The Pheromosa cried as- to my shock- Azelf pitched in again. He had shot into it bodily like a bullet, knocking it down to the ground.

I gasped up at him, sitting up on my elbows. He stared down at me for a moment that felt much longer than it probably was. "You're the leader here, aren't you?" He asked stoically. I blinked and found myself speechless, but nodded. He frowned. "Then lead!" And with that he was gone, zipping off to continue his fight elsewhere. I almost couldn't see him when he moved.

I blinked again.

i turned my head to look at the battle. Everyone was fighting on their own... Lunala still had yet to collect herself enough to fight, and we were clearly not on the road to victory. But what could we do..?

Suddenly Kubo's fight had brought him closer to me, and I jumped. I turned to watch as Kubo flung a smokescreen of his bubbles into a Pheromosa's eyes and then shot a barrage of bubblebeams into it. It stumbled back and fumbled furiously with its face. It didn't take long, however, for it to clear its vision. Kubo froze in shock as the beast aimed a perfect kick to his body, sending him back into the water of the ocean.

"Kubo!" Snowflake cried worriedly. In an attempt to take advantage of her brief distraction, the beast she was fighting hit her square int he jaw and she yelped.

"Aaaagh! No! Do not interfere, this is MY fight!" Kubo growled, leaping back out of the water. He didn't even look over as Snowflake was once again forced to focus on her own opponent. "I can do this myself!"

"Kubo!" My voice was rather reproachful. "We're a team! We need to act like it!"

"Oh yeah? Well we're not exactly acting like it!" Kubo snapped as he dodged a rather close jump kick. "We usually have some kind of plan!"

A plan... That's right...

I frowned thoughtfully, wondering what it was we could do to defeat these creatures. We always used to work so well together... we could use everyone's skills to their advantage. It didn't seem like we were all clashing- surely we could all work together if we just tried- but Kubo certainly felt left out...

'Aha!' I thought suddenly, an idea coming to me. I curled up into a ball and used rollout on the Pheromosa Kubo was up against. It cried out angrily and turned to me.

"Hey!" Kubo barked, "didn't I say not to get in my way!?"

"Sorry man!" I called teasingly, barely managing to duck under the Pheromosa's kick it aimed to my head. "I guess I've got no plans after all!"

The Pheromosa threw another hit at me and this time I had to block it. I wasn't strong enough to fully stop the blow and got knocked down. "Moss!" Kubo flung a smokescreen at it again, distracting it. "Don't forget about me, beast!" The Pheromosa screeched and cried in anger at being blinded again. In its distress, Kubo rushed up to me and helped me away from it.

"Moss- you're not usually this reckless," he huffed at me in annoyance.

I shrugged apologetically. "Those things are fast- if we wanna keep up we gotta think fast too."

Kubo frowned thoughtfully at that. He rubbed his chin, peering back other at the Pheromosa who was now stomping its feet as if it was having a tantrum, furiously wiping away the bubbles in its eyes. "Think fast, huh..?" He turned back to me, and just like I expected, he was smirking.

I knew that look... It had been a little while since I had last seen it.

"Moss- I have an idea. These beasts are too fast for us to take on one-on-one. However..." a mischievous look flickered in his eyes, "we're a lot smarter than them. If we can keep them confused and distracted, they won't be smart enough to keep up with US."

I grinned back at him. "Go on?"

Kubo explained to me that all we needed was to interrupt their fights. Each of the team was fighting on their own, which would be to our advantage- we could ambush each individual Ultra Beast while it was distracted. I nodded, grinning to myself. I could see a cunning glint in Kubo's eyes that excited me. Finally, he wasn't moping!

"First things first, though," Kubo said, turning to our own current opponent, "we'll need to take this one down!"

The Pheromosa was still a bit confused from it's eyes being covered, so it was best to take it out before it could get the chance to recover. I extended out two vine whips to hit it on its left side to direct it's attention. It cried out angrily and kicked in that direction. While it's attention was diverted, Kubo shot a water gun into it's back.

We went back and forth with it in this manner until it was finally on the ground, struggling and incapable of climbing back to its feet. I smirked over at Kubo and he gave me a thumbs up. Snowflake was the closest to us, so she was first.

"Kubo! Moss!" She cried as we both snuck up behind the Pheromosa. Kubo raised a finger to his lips in a "Shhh!" gesture and Snowflake's mouth opened in an "o" shape as she realized what we were going. She grinned and shot an ice beam at the Pheromosa, but it dodged her attack easily, rushing forwards to mega kick her with the same movement.

But its charge was interrupted by a vine whip used as a trip wire by its ankles, and a bubblebeam shot into its back. "REEAAAHH!!" It cried, scrambling back to its feet and furiously looking around for the unexpected attackers.

Before it could properly spot us, Snowflake took the opportunity to shoot an ice beam into its face, and it cried out angrily again. "SCREEEAA!!!!"

"It took you two long enough to get it in gear!" Snowflake said chidingly, but the relieved grin on her face removed any remourse we could've felt at her words.

"Sorry, can't hear you over how cool we are!" Kubo chirped back, jumping up and hitting the Pheromosa's back with a bounce. I curled up into a rollout and managed to hit it as well while it was still recovering from his attack.

It was knocked out following my attack and Snowflake laughed, racing up to us. "That was brililant! I could barely land any hits on it by myself!" She beamed.

I laughed and scratched the back of my head as Kubo crossed his arms proudly. "Yup, they're fast but they're not nearly as clever as we are," he pointed to his temple knowingly, "all we gotta do is outsmart them."

"Right," Snowflake grinned and there was a distinct pride for him in her eyes as well.

Kubo seemed to notice, as he huffed and crossed his arms in a more irritated manner. "Well- who are we going to help next?" He asked, hasty to avoid what it was he knew Snowflake wanted to say.

"Hmmm.." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, looking at everyone else's fights. everyone was not faring the best, but...

My eyes locked onto Lunala.

She still wasn't doing any fighting. I blinked. What? Why was she not fighting...?

She was simply sitting there, her wings curled in on herself, anxiously watching as Mesprit and Sakura attempted to keep a Pheromosa from attacking her. Why didn't she fight? The two were clearly struggling and could use her help...

I steeled myself. "Snowflake, Kubo, help Sakura and-" I hesitated on her name and Kubo noticed- "and Mesprit. I need to get Lunala into the fight too. Can you do that?"

Snowflake nodded. Kubo clenched his fists and his expression tightened. But after only a brief moment of hesitation, he grinned and lifted one hand up to give me a thumbs up. "We'll get it done!"

I nodded at him and he nodded back. I turned and shared a brief encouraging smile with Snowflake before I was off, using rollout to quickly rush over to them, bashing into the Pheromosa's leg from behind as I did so. It cried out in confusion and tumbled over backwards. I could briefly see the equal shock and confusion on Mesprit and Sakura's faces before I had already barreled past them, leaping to my feet right before Lunala.

"Ah-! Moss! What're you doing here?" Lunala croaked weakly, her voice weak with anxiety.

"Lunala! Why aren't you fighting?" I gasped staring up at her with wide eyes. Behind my back, I could hear Kuno and Snowflake joining in the fight against the Pheromosa. I would need to be fast... I needed to help them too.

She shook her head. "I- I'm sorry Moss... I know I should, but I just don't think I would be any good... none of my moves could really do much damage- they resist me and I'm not that strong-"

"Hey! Hey hey hey!" I called, trying to interrupt her rambled fears. Her mouth snapped shut at my words.

"M-Moss...?"

"Lunala... you were very helpful against the Guzzlord. You're very capable of fighting. Just because they resist you doesn't mean you're helpless." I crossed my arms and frowned at her in concern.

"..." She stared back down at me, some unsure look flickering through her expression. My words didn't seem to have convinced her. But why? What could it possibly be that was going through her mind that made her paralyzed all this time?

My muscles loosened and I uncrossed my arms. "What is this.. really about?" I asked gently.

"..huh?" She blinked, "what do you mean?"

"Are you upset at yourself for getting us into this fight? Are you... afraid?"

Lunala frowned, completely perplexed by my questions. "I... no. Not... not the way you mean, at least." I tilted my head, wordlessly asking for her to elaborate, and she sighed. She averted her eyes. "It's one thing to.. to prepare for a beast and to know what I'm getting into... but- what can I do against an ambush? I... there's nothing I can do.."

"That's not true," I said, "you're very strong. Even if it's not a lot, you can help!"

Lunala continued to frown at me... before her expression lit up in realization. "I- I guess I'm not used to being... very strong, I guess. I was always... needing to be saved."

I stared at her a moment. Suddenly, to Lunala's surprise, I laughed. She jumped at my laughter, staring at me in complete bewilderment. "You're not the only one!" I giggled, "I got used to not being strong enough- but look at us now!" I gestured up to her with both my arms.

Lunala blinked again... and her face softened. She smiled down at me fondly.

"Yes... look at us. You were able to save me, and I... I have the ability to save you too, now."

I nodded. She nodded back. "Okay... I'll try." She raised her wings. "What should I do?"

I told her my and Kubo's plan. When I turned to re-evaluate the state of the battle, I was relieved to find that the four had managed to defeat the Pheromosa without me and Lunala's help. That meant that there was only Hunter and his Pheromosa, as well as Victini and her duo of them. Only three left.

"Mesprit, Sakura, you two go help Hunter... the rest of us will help Victini," I said with a nod to them. Everyone nodded back, but before we could move, Azelf flew up behind us.

"What about me?" He asked blandly, just loud enough to be heard. I jumped and blinked up at him., while everyone else spun around, Kubo and Snowflake a bit uneasy at his presence. Azelf merely stared back at us.

"Ah- uh... well..." I stuttered.

"Why don't you just POSSESS one of them, huh?" Kubo said in a surprisingly lighter tone than he usually did with Azelf. "I bet that'd confuse them pretty good."

I turned, dread filling me at the hard, stony gaze Mesprit was pointing at Kubo. I could sense the tension increasing between us by the second.

"That... might actually work," Snowflake said softly.

Azelf blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah!" Sakura added, forcefully energetic. "Victini is fighting two of them! Maybe we could get the two of them to knock each other out!" As she spoke, Kubo put his hands on his hips in a distinctly smug way. I elbowed him in the chest and he deflated with a cough.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's go!" I cried, raising a fist into the air.

"Right!"

Victini was doing.. relatively well in her battle. Her fire kept the Pheromosa away from the most part, they struggled to land their kicks and hits with Victini hidden in a circle of fire. She wasn't doing as well hitting them either, but she didn't seem all that exhausted like the rest of us were. There was a frustrated look on her face her tongue sticking out angrily, but she wasn't injured. She had managed to avoid most damage, but she hadn't managed to cause much either.

We snuck around them, forming a triangle around the battle. Azelf was missing from our group, I hadn't caught a glimpse of him since he zipped off towards the battle himself, too fast to keep an eye on. But I was sure he was planning to participate. I just wished he actually did it as a part of the team. I rolled my eyes, but brought my thoughts back to the battle at hand.

Out from behind a snow bank, an ice beam arched through the air and landed into the side of a Pheromosa's face, knocking it onto the ground. "EEAAAAHHH!!" It cried angrily, climbing back onto its hands and knees and looking around for the attack. From within her ring of fire, Victini gasped.

"Huh?" She tilted her head.

Another attack, now from Kubo's location, landed swiftly into the back of the other Pheromosa, knocking it off balance, but not off its feet. It was my turn now!

I targeted the one that was standing, using rollout to emerge from over the small snow hill I had been crouched on, and kicking its feet out from under it. It fell backwards onto its behind, with a strangely sounding "oof!"

"Oh! You're helping me!" Victini gasped again in realization. "Nice!"

After attracting the attention of the first fallen Pheromosa with her words, Victini shot a flamethrower at it. It leapt to it's feet in a flash in the hopes to dodge, but another ice beam to its back pushed it down forwards into the flames. It cried out wordlessly, but it wasn't down yet. It caught itself on its hands and let out a silver wind. The attack slashed at us with sharp winds. I yelped uncurling from my attack.

The second Pheromosa hobbled back to its feet. It turned to face the first, which was now pushing itself up into a stand as well. But- before it could fully stand, it was sideswiped by the second, kicked back into the ground.

"Wha- HUH?" Victini's eyes bugged out as she stared, the ring of fire surrounding her dropping away in her shock. I found myself staring as well, and the confusion on the first Pheromosa's face was evident as well.

"KRRRP?" It chirped in bewilderment from its place collapsed on the ground. I looked up into into the second Pheromosa's eyes, and found that they were glowing a bright, vibrant amber colour. So Azelf has decided to help after all...

'Azelf' ran quickly at the Ultra Beast, and I was shocked at how well he was able to use the beast's own abilities. He obvious had a lot of practice in using others' bodies. I watched, intrigued and mildly disturbed, as he mega kicked the other Pheromosa in the side, sending it flying and into a pile of snow. It was no question that it was now fainted.

He then promptly punched himself in the gut.

"Oh my goodness!" Snowflake yelped at the sight.

The Pheromosa's huge body slumped over, fainting onto the ground in a huff. Then, as if appearing from out of nowhere, Azelf zipped up beside me, staring down at me seriously. "Waah!" I jumped, raising my arms defensively. "Where did you-?!"

"Moss," he said sternly, "we've defeated the beasts, so we should probably get on with our search... or else more ultra Beasts will arrive to slow us down."

"....." I stared at him. He stared back. He tilted his head at my lack of response, and began dusting himself off. My eyes flickered around to see Snowflake, Victini, and Kubo all breaking from their trances, and hesitantly making their way over to us. I looked back to Azelf. He still hadn't moved. I lowered my arms to my sides and cleared my throat. "That was... interesting. You're...quite efficient..."

He nodded. I cleared my throat again, finding it rather dry. "Uhm... but next time, you should probably try to make it clearer to us what you intend to do..."

He frowned minutely. "I was told to possess it... and so I did. What about that is confusing?"

"Well-" I choked, "you're supposed to make it clear WHEN you're going to do that, maybe come with us when we set off as a group instead of disappearing... telegraph things a little bit, you know?"

He stared at me. I didn't think he was really understanding what I was saying. "...But we still won?" he said.

I sighed.

"Hey, Moss!" Kubo cheered, hopping over with a hand raised in the air for me. I high fived him and he slung an arm around my neck. "We really showed them who's boss, huh? They may be big, but their brains are tiny, haha!" He noogied me, and while a part of me wanted to be happy he was back to his old self, the rest of me was not happy at this part of regular Kubo coming back.

"Aagh! Aaaah, stop!" I struggled to escape to no avail.

"Hah! I can't believe I got to see that weird power of yours in person, Azelf!" Victini cheered excitedly, flying up next to Azelf to beam at him. Azelf sweated minutely.

"Uhm... thanks." His eyes darted around to Snowflake, Kubo and I for a brief moment. "Most pokemon don't like it."

"Well I think it's cool," Victini said with a decisive nod.

"....okay." Azelf mumbled in return.

"So... you said the other's won their fight too?" I asked, turning my attention over the snowbanks to where I could see Lunala's large form peaking over. She was now sitting rather comfortably on the beach. Although, when I looked closer I could see amusement in her eyes. I wondered what she was looking at.

"We should get over there," Snowflake said. Azelf nodded at that and immediately set off without another word. "Ah! Wait- uh-" Snowlake attempted to call after him, but he was nothing too fast, and didn't hear. The four of us who remained, exchanged confused glances.

Azelf was... interesting, I decided.

When we arrived at the rest of the group, I realized what it was Lunala had been so amused about. Mesprit and Sakura were chasing Hunter around playfully, although he seemed more irritated and flustered by their antics than anything else. He furiously tried to escape them as best he could, and ultimately ended up running around Lunala, hiding under her wings. He peeked out from behind her with a pout on his face. He looked positively scandalized.

"Hey guys!" Victini called, racing down ahead of us and waving with her hands above her head. Sakura and Mesprit looked up with equally amused grins.

"It seems the danger's all dealt with over here then, huh?" Snowflake asked as we slid down the snowbank to reach them.

"Speak for yourself!" Hunter huffed from under the protection on Lunala's wings. "I say there's lots of danger still!"

"Ooohhhh, do you think we're going to getchu~?" Mesprit waved her hands at Hunter in a gesture that was meant to be haunting, but really just ended up being goofy.

"YES!"

"Hahahaa!" As Mesprit laughed at his ire, Azelf interrupted her by coming up and holding one of her arms, turning it and looking it over. Mesprit paused and frowned at him. She yanked her arm away from him. "You really need to learn to ask before grabbin' me, y'know, Azelf!"

Azelf huffed and crossed his arms. "What? I need to make sure you're not injured."

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you!" she huffed and mirrored him, crossing her arms as well. "I'm not THAT weak!"

"Coulda fooled me," Azelf said with a small grin, clearly trying to egg her on.

Mesprit's face went red. Her buttons were successfully pushed. "Why, you!" She moved to grab at him, but he quickly dodged out of the way. Mepsrit's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You get back here!"

She flew after him, but he was clearly too fast for her, as he effortlessly dodged her every furious grab that she made at him, his expression not breaking once. We watched their bickering with some mild confusion. Was this normal?

"See, I TOLD you danger was still afoot." Hunter grumbled as he walked up beside me. I put a hand on his head, and he huffed, looking up at me. "Am I really that easy of a target for them?"

I grinned and shrugged. "Maybe."

Victini hummed. "So- where do we go from here? We fought those bugs because they were defending the shrine. But I don't see any huge destroyed castles here or anything!" She brought a hand up to shade her eyes and did a once-over around the barren snowy landscape.

"Ah- well there's an easy explanation for that..." Snowflake said softly, which drew her attention.

"Huh??"

"According to the map- it's, uh, under the water..."

"WHAT?" Victini screeched. "HOW FAR UNDER THE WATER IS IT??"

I flinched and could feel Hunter do the same beside me. Snowflake looked to me and Kubo for assistance. But I could only shrug, and Kubo seemed... a little TOO excited about the prospect. Snowflake sighed, and Sakura decided to pick up the slack for her. "It's pretty deep under... We'll probably need to look along the ocean floor for a while to find it."

She started in shock and then jumped into our faces. "Are you SERIOUS?!" Victini fluttered about, energetically flying around i front of us, nibbling her fingertips in stress. "Oh no! This just can't be! I'm FIRE type you know! WATER IS MY ENEMY!!" She turned suddenly to stare out at the ocean. She blew a particularly aggressive raspberry at it.

Hunter hummed softly seeing her anxiety. He frowned up at me, and I wondered what it was he was thinking. Was she making him worried too? He had never gone underwater with us before after all... "How are we going to be able to do that? Most of us can't hold our breath for that long- at least I can't..." He asked.

"Well, We've had to do this once before, back when we met Mesprit," I said, "we have these berries that can make us breathe underwater." I hesitated. "Er... Well, Sakura knows the most about it..."

Sakura grinned rather proudly and held her head up higher, stepping forwards so she could see Hunter better. While she spoke, Victini was pouting, flying above out heads and grumpily listening in. "That's right! The pokemon from my parts do it all the time! Its helpful for trade between water and land pokemon after all."

"Oohh.." Hunter nodded gently, "I see... so it's safe?"

Sakura nodded back. "Totally! I would do it all the time back at home!" Her smile became more strained, before dropping from her face entirely. "...back with my friends, we'd always be going down there to play with the water pokemon..."

Hunter frowned in concern. It was clear he wanted to ask what was wrong, but I jumped in instead. "Sakura introduced us to it so we could travel through Mesprit's lake to get to her. It was a bit weird at first, but nothing to really worry about."

"Yeah, but none of YOU are weak to the water." Victini huffed from above our heads.

"Oh, get over it, Vivi! You're not supposed to mope like I do!" Kubo spat a small stream of water up at her, making her shriek and dodge out of the way.

"Hey!"

"What're you gonna do about it?" Kubo said with a smirk, putting his hands on his hips. Victini puffed out her cheeks angrily.

"Now, now!" Snowflake snapped. "Don't you two get back to bickering again! I'm sure you'll be fine in the water, and if not... well, I'm sure we can figure something out."

While they were still going back and forth, I noticed that Hunter was still frowning at Sakura in concern, who watched things with a quiet kind of solemnity to her. I sometimes forgot of what had happened when we met her. Sakura had lost a lot of things... she wasn't the most optimistic of us, despite her usual cheery countenance.

Hunter stepped out and tilted his head, his ears perked forwards. "Sakura... can you show me the berries?" He smiled gently. I couldn't help but smile as well, as Sakura lifted her head, peering over at Hunter with a curious confusion on her face.

"I... sure..." She sat and riffled through her bag until she revealed a single berry. Hunter peered at it.

"Cool!" He took it and inspected it.

Sakura's confusion slowly morphed into a perplexed smile, she chuckled softly. "It's not THAT cool..."

"It's SO cool! I've never breathed underwater before!"

Sakura laughed, "well, I'll be happy to watch you fumble with it."

Hunter glared at her. "Hey!" He snapped, but there was no real bite to his tone. "I'm not stupid, I'll do perfectly fine!"

"Hah! I'll believe it when I see it!" Sakura was smiling genuinely now, and I couldn't help but be surprised at how easily Hunter had managed to bring it out. Perhaps Hunter didn't mind the teasing too much after all.

"Well- I WILL show you!"

"We better get going then, cause I just have to see this." Sakura stood, a grin on her face as she observed the rest of our team. "Hey guys! Are we going now, or what?"

"Oh!" Mesprit stopped, which pulled Kubo, Snowflake and Victini from their squabbling as well. They all turned to Mesprit, a bit dazed. "You're right! Agh, jeez, get a grip," she bonked her own head with the heel of her palm, annoyed at herself, "yes! We need to get going as soon as possible!"

"Right..." Victini frowned, "and what about me?"

"You'll be fine," Mesprit waved her off casually, "This is going to be real cold- it's Moss I'm more concerned about."

"Me?" I blinked. "I'm doing fine..."

"You won't be if you freeze from the cold." She hummed and scratched her chin. "Hmmm..."

"Maybe we could just keep an eye on each other," I offered, "Vivi and I will just have to stick together. She's been keeping me warm well enough up until now."

"Sounds good to me!" Sakura announced, walking up to each one of us and placing a berry in each of our hands. "Now eat these!"

I peered skeptically down at the berry in my hand. It had been a long time since I last tried one of these... how long would it take for us to find the shrine? Hopefully it'd last long enough...

I looked up and watched the others as I bit down on my berry. Lunala had been watching everything quietly, smilling with her head gently tilted to the side. She was quieter than I expected her to be. I wondered if she felt shy, or perhaps felt like an outcast from how much smaller the rest of us were to her... she was a lot larger now than she used to be as a Cosmog. She wordlessly took her berry and inspected it. Would she need to eat more due to her size? It didn't seem so, as she ate it in one bite and nobody thought to offer her a second one.

Everyone else ate their berries quickly, although Victini still seemed grumpy and reluctant. She sidled up beside me, crossing her arms with a huff.

"We can't waste time wading in the shallow water." Lunala said her eyes drawn to me. She must've seen me watching. I struggled not to look away in embarrassment. "You all should hang onto me... and I'll take us out to where the map says we should be."

"The map isn't that precise," Snowflake added softly, "there's still a lot of searching we'll have to do."

"Then we better be quick!" Kubo hopped energetically.

We all climbed onto Lunala's back. She lifted up into the air and began soaring out across the horizon. It wasn't long before she cried "get ready!" and in one swift movement, plunged into the ocean.

No amount of warnings could prepare me for the sudden harsh, splash of cold that caved in on me. I gripped Lunala's back tightly, Clenching my eyes shut against the sting of the salt water. I could vaguely feel Victini tense at my side. My hearing dulled and blurred, but I could tell that it was different from how I would normally hear underwater.

As if to prove this thought, Lunala spoke. "Is everyone alright?" She asked, her voice echoing slightly in the silence of the ocean. Hesitantly, I blinked my eyes open.

Streams of sunlight beamed down from the surface, the water stretched out far around us, a cool deep blue. We weren't too far out yet, so the sea floor was still visible beneath us, rocky hills that raised and dipped into the foggy depths. The occasional stalk of kelp could be seen stretching up from them like tall, eerie forests.

I had to admit, the chill was rather distracting. I looked to Victini and found her grimacing, squinting around nervously at the foreign world around her. I was almost shocked to see her not bouncing with excitement at such a new experience. I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch and turn to me. Seeing my sympathetic gaze, she nodded weakly and shifted closer to me, still gripping onto Lunala's back with all her might. Her body heat pressed into my side and made the cold a lot less painful.

I looked up to see Kubo swimming around Lunala with a calm smile on his face. He seemed to be the only one who had yet to let go of her.

"I think everyone's alright," Kubo replied lightly. I hadn't expected him to come around so fast. Perhaps he was simply happy to be in his element. But he had still yet to talk to- or even look at- Mesprit, so I supposed he was probably still a bit bitter about that.

Even still, he smiled confidently at Lunala. "I'm gonna look around the area. Don't worry about me gettin' lost, you're a pretty big landmark!"

Lunala nodded, and I could tell in her voice that there was a shy smile on her face. "Do as you wish, Kubo..."

"Alright!" He gave her a thumbs up and then began to swim around everywhere. He slipped seamlessly through the kelp, searching for a sign of a shrine or cave. I turned my attention to the rest of the group.

Snowflake seemed more comfortable with being underwater this time than last time. Or perhaps she was just better at distracting herself from the strange sensations. She had a serious expression on her face, looking around from her perch on Lunala's shoulder.

Hunter and Sakura were together. Sakura was smirking, swimming along next to Lunala while Hunter shivered and glared at her stubbornly. He gripped onto Lunala's back almost as desperately as Victini was, but there was a defiant fire in his eyes that made him force his claws to let go. However as Lunala continued to swim forwards, Hunter could not keep up. He yelped fearfully and clasped onto her again. Sakura laughed, and I could tell she was gloating.

"S-shut up!" I could hear him bark out a protest.

Mesprit, well... I could clearly see that she was cold as well, keeping close to Lunala's wings and rubbing her hands together as if any kind of friction could be built between her hands. She scowled and rubbed her arms instead. She began looking around the ocean floor as well, in an vain attempt to distract herself from the cold.

Azelf, on the other hand, looked completely fine to me. He did not show any discomfort, or any reactions to being underwater at all, really. He simply stuck by Mesprit, but did not look at her- his wide, serious eyes scanned the area, never locking onto one place for too long.

With so many eyes on the lookout, I didn't expect it to take so long to find the shrine. As time went on and on, and our search continued, I couldn't help but wonder if we had missed it or something. The cold was taxing even with Victini's presence at my side, and still there was no underwater building in sight. The Ultra Beasts had been there to defend their portal! So where in the world was it?

I could tell a number of the others started to grow tired as well, and we'd surely need to eat more berries before the effects faded...

But before I could suggest we take a break, I heard a loud cry from behind me.

The voice was unfamiliar, and up until this point we hadn't passed by all that many pokemon, and any we did pass were quiet and unassuming. I turned, dragging Victini with me, and peered through the foggy haze of the water.

"What is it, Moss?" Victini asked, her voice distractingly loud.

I held my hand up for her to stop. "Shhush! I think I heard something..." She quieted, and we both strained to listen.

It was muffled a bit, but it definitely sounded like a cry of distress.

"What is that?" Victini asked, her voice still much too loud.

"Well, why not go see?" I asked, and then set off, swimming back towards the sound. "Moss-! Ah, wait up!" She cried and quickly followed after me.

I swam around, looking back and forth for the source of the cry. Finally I turned a corner around a tall wall of rocks, and found a large sharpedo biting and nawing at some rocks. No- it wasn't just some rocks- a small blue pokemon was lodged between them. She must have been trying to escape and got stuck, but now only the outcrop of rocks was enough to protect her from the fish pokemon's large mouth and sharp teeth. She cried out again, 'Aaaahhh! Help! Help me!"

I frowned furiously seeing this pokemon attacking the other so viciously. She needed some back-up!

Victini watched anxiously as I held my hand out and shot an energy ball at the sharpedo. He only noticed the light from the attack the moment before it hit, and turned towards the light right before getting punted in the face by it. "GRAH!" He roared and was flung back, bashing into a large rock that stood alongside the rocky wall.

While he was out for the moment, I swam up to the frightened pokemon, peering into the fissure of rocks. Victini did not follow me, but I felt comfortable just knowing she was watching. "Hey! You okay?" I called into the rocks.

"I can't- I can't get out!" the voice was shaky and panicked.

"Don't worry! I'll getcha out of there!" I replied. I looked around hastily, looking for some way to remove the rocks. "Hmm..." I wondered if I could bash the rocks away. The sharpedo hadn't had much luck, but he didn't have the right move for the job...

I reared back and threw my fist at the rocks. My power-up punch bashed a good portion of the wall away. "Can you get out now?" I called in, but her reply was an anxious 'mm-mmh!' So I reached back and punched the wall again, my attack doing even more damage this time.

The I heard Victini's voice. "Moss look out!"

"RROOAAAHH!"

"Huh?" I turned in shock to see the sharpedo racing at me. He had recovered from my attack. I knew it wouldn't take long, but now I didn't have surprise on my side. I shot another energy ball at him, hitting him in the nose and managing to deflect his movements enough so that his crunch attack landed straight into the rocky wall behind me. "Waah!" I gasped as the force from the impact managed to push me away, sending me tumbling into a couple lines of kelp.

"Gah!" I tried to yank my arms and legs free from the sticky leaves but they wouldn't budge.

Great... now what was i going to do?

I sharpened my back spines and tried to slice through them, but in the water I couldn't get enough friction. They didn't seem to get damaged at all. My gaze jumped back over to the sharpedo in a panic as I heard another cry, and saw him restarting his efforts to get into the rocky crevice where the pokemon was trapped, but now he was managing to dig through the damaged rock..!

I clenched my teeth and reinvigorated my efforts to free myself. But then an ice beam and a shadow ball shot at the sharpedo, throwing it away and making it roar out in pain and anger again. I turned towards his attackers at the same time he did, but while his experession froze with fear, I felt myself smiling.

Victini had gone back to retrieve Lunala, and now she and Snowflake were glaring rather intimidatingly at the sharpedo. He paled, and quickly fled, not wanting to go up against something as huge and foreign as Lunala.

I sighed in relief... before remembering that I was still stuck.

Lunala stayed where she was, watching the scene closely as Victini and Azelf lifted up the fallen debris from all the destroyed rocks. Azelf then wordlessly used his psychic powers to take ahold of the trapped pokemon, and safely pull her out. I couldn't see her perfectly clearly from where I was, but she didn't seem injured. She happily thanked the two of them with a group hug, which surprised the both of them.

"Hey dude, what're you doin' over here?" I turned to find Kubo swimming up to me, grinning at me smugly. "You learning how to wrap presents?"

"Shut up," I snapped back at him and redoubled my efforts to get free. But I only found myself tangled even more thoroughly. "How in the world-?" I growled.

"Haha!" He giggled, "look at you!"

"Very funny," I grumbled defeatedly, "now would you help me out of here?"

He hummed thoughtfully and I already knew what his answer would be. "Hmmm.... nnnope! I don't think I will! You need to learn how to help yourself!" He announced, his grin ever widening.

"Then at least tell me what I need to do, you lazy jerk."

"Nope~!"

"Uuugghhhhh."

"You should relax." A new, high pitched voice said. I blinked and looked around for it.

"Huh?"

"You need to relax! If you fight against them, then you'll never be free." I finally noticed that the voice came from above my head. I looked up to find the blue pokemon peering down at me curiously. Behind her, I could see Victini and Azelf, who looked more intrigued rather than worried or amused, to my relief. Although truthfully I was only assuming he was intrigued, as his expression didn't give much away...

At least the others weren't going to laugh at me.

"Hey, what's going on over... oohhh,' and then I heard Sakura's voice, and I knew immediately that I spoke too soon. She swam up next to Kubo and grinned in amusement. "How'd you end up like that!" She laughed.

"Shut uuuup!" I whined.

"Go on now!" The blue pokemon smiled at me, "you helped free me, now I help free you! relax your body and they'll all let go."

I huffed, but I tried to do as she said. Almost immediately, to my shock, the leaves loosened and began to let go of me. I blinked in amazement as they slowly fell right off of me, and I was able to swim away.

Kubo clapped. "Good show! Now you've learnt a lesson about being underwater!"

"No I think my lesson is not to ask YOU for help," I glared at him in annoyance. He only shrugged with a laugh and Sakura joined him.

Snowflake then swam up, a disappointed look on her face and I already found myself grinning. Oh she would not be happy about this.

Snowflake huffed at them. "Just because you two know what being underwater is like, doesn't mean we do." She tsked and then looked over to me with a soft smile. "I'm glad you're alright, Moss," She turned to the new pokemon as well, "you too."

"Thanks!" She smiled and bowed politely. "Thank you all for helping me! I don't want to think what would've happened to me if he caught me..." She shuddered at the thought. I couldn't blame her.

Victini swam up to her and tilted her head. "I'm Victini, the victory pokemon!" She pointed to herself proudly. "And these are my friends!" She pointed to each of us, introducing us one by one. "So, who are you?"

"I'm Manaphy," she replied with a polite smile, "I've lived here my whole life and I've never met a team of pokemon like you! Haha!" She giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. "It's nice to meet you all."

"This is a pretty chilly place to live, don't you think?" Hunter asked, swimming up next to Snowflake and smiling softly at her.

"It's alright to me!" Manaphy shrugged. "My species only live in the colder parts of the ocean. But, our cousin Phione are able to live in warmer climates..." she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So I've never seen any pokemon like you!"

"Well it's no wonder I've never heard of manaphy before," Sakura said with mild awe in her voice.

Manaphy giggled, "not many pokemon can handle the temperature~" She did a little spin in the water. "speaking of which.. how are you all managing?"

"Barely." I grumbled, opening and closing my fists to keep the blood flowing through my paws. "It feels like sharp glass is burning me all over."

"I'm not fond of the cold myself.." Hunter huffed softly, and Sakura nodded. Victini nodded in that strangely docile way she had been acting lately, reaching out for my arm and hanging off of me. Lunala wordlessly shook her head. I was mildly surprised by this. Perhaps it was because she was ghost type, that she didn't feel affected by the cold?

Mesprit hugged herself and grinned awkwardly. "I mean.. it's definitely not comfortable," Mesprit quipped. I looked to Azelf to see if he had any response as well, but found that he wasn't even paying attention anymore. He floated next to Mesprit, looking around the area in search of the shrine. I couldn't even tell if he was cold or not.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about," Kubo frowned, "it's not cold to me!"

Snowflake nudged him in annoyance. "Kubo. Be nice. I'm an ice-type and I can understand the concept. Not everybody feels like you do."

Kubo laughed. "Well things would be a lot easier if they did!"

"Oh, now you're just being contrarian!" She snapped back.

"Guys!" Before they could start to bicker again, I turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. "We'd love to talk more Manaphy, but we're not just here to sightsee. We're an exploration team- and we have an important mission here."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Manaphy tilted her head curiously.

"Well.." I supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell her. "We need to find the shrine of the guardian legendary known as Tapu Fini. Have you heard of her?"

Manaphy's eyes lit up, and I felt a small bud of hope grow within me.

"Tapu Fini? Of course I do! Everybody around here has heard of her!" She smiled excitedly, "but I'm sorry to disappoint- her shrine isn't exactly a mysterious unknown place! You won't be discovering it that's for sure, haha!"

"Wha- do YOU know where it is?" Kubo gaped at her.

She nodded. "I do! But few would ever want to go there... it's not a safe journey for most, and Tapu Fini herself is... not the nicest, she's rather anti-social..."

I couldn't believe our luck. We had been looking around rather aimlessly for a while now and finally we had a good lead! "That doesn't matter, we still need to go there!" I insisted. Manaphy blinked in surprise at my determination.

"Huh? But why?" She asked curiously.

"The other Tapu have been turned to stone," Snowflake said seriously, "Tapu Fini has been affected too, and we need to find her in order to free her."

Manaphy frowned at her increduously. "Really?"

Snowflake nodded. Manaphy's expression only got more perplexed. "How was she turned to STONE?"

We looked amongst each other. I realized rather suddenly that we still didn't know. There was a lot we had been much too busy to ask...

"It was Necrozma," Lunala said softly, as we all turned to her in surprise, "he opened portals to this world and sent his minions to defeat the Tapu's."

Manaphy still seemed confused. Perhaps even moreso now.

"What she's trying to say is.." Hunter piped up softly, "there's this big powerful pokemon who's come here to invade us... and he has the power to turn pokemon to stone."

Manaphy finally relaxed her expression, pouting at Hunter thoughtfully. "I see..." She looked around the area, peering worriedly at the huge rock formations and the various life growing all around. "I suppose its true there's been an odd atmosphere around here lately..." she murmured.

"How so?" Mesprit asked with a tilt of her head. She swam up next to me and Snowflake, with Azelf close behind. Kubo inched a little bit away as they approached.

if there was anything wrong, Manaphy didn't notice. "Well, there's usually a deep mist that shrouds the surface of the water," she said thoughtfully, "Tapu Fini likes to keep this place secret, so it's a great place for me... but now, well.. pokemon have seemed a bit more aggressive around here."

"There's a lot of places like that." Mesprit hummed. I was sure it sounded a lot like the Misty Valley, with all the dangerous Ultra Beasts who had followed Lunala there when she was still a Cosmog. "I assure you it'll go back to normal once she's saved!"

Manaphy cracked a small grin. "Then there's no time to waste! Follow me, I'll take you there!" She turned and took of in the other direction- to the left of the direction we had been initially going. It seems we definitely needed her help here.

We followed after her rather miserably, but at least we had been able to eat a second helping of the water-breathing berries. If it weren't for Victini I would have already been totally frozen. My body was shivering and I cursed myself for it. As if that would do any good for me.

It must've been not longer than a few minutes, but it felt like ages to me. We passed by a few water pokemon on our way there; some clamperl were closed shut tight at the floor of the ocean, and a few schools of wishi-washi swam by in a panicked hurry. It was more barren here than it probably usually was. The Ultra Beasts must've scared a number of pokemon away. After a long swim, we finally arrived at a sudden cliffside, the ground breaking off and dropping deep down into the ocean. It was like a huge canyon... or perhaps it was as if we had finally reached the edge of a mountain. Either way, I could not see the bottom, or the other side of this sudden, sharp fissure.

Manaphy stopped at the edge of the cliff and we all followed suit, looking around the area for any sign of a gate or a secret entrance to Tapu Fini's shrine. But all there was, was the deep blackness and the open ocean.

"We've reached the Bottomless Sea... although some like to call it the twilight zone." Manaphy said, turning to us. "We're almost there, now."

"ALMOST there? You mean its not here?" Kubo asked as he furrowed his brows. "Is it at the bottom of the cliff?"

"Hah!" Manaphy barked out a laugh, making us all jump in surprise. "What part of bottomless did you miss? Nobody would be able to reach her shrine if it were at the bottom. No, it's not at the bottom... but it IS down there." She turned again and peered over the edge into the stark blackness. "It won't take long, I know where it is."

Victini and I swam up beside her to get a proper look down. I gulped at the sheer scale of it. It looked so dark...

"Oh... I don't know..." Hunter edged up beside me. "I've got a bad feeling about whatever else could be down there..."

Behind us, I could hear Kubo speaking with Manaphy. "It can't REALLY be bottomless. I'm sure its not that far down. Sure the ocean is deep but we've already reached this sea floor, the next level can't be that different. It's just a big lake."

Manaphy's voice giggled, "that's a good one!"

"I'm not joking!"

Manaphy's reply was slower, and in her pause I turned to look back at the two of them. Manaphy's expression was one of mild amazement. "You haven't been in the ocean before, have you?"

"What? You can't just assume that!" Kubo snapped, but the red in his face answered her question.

"Well you'll learn soon enough that a lake is just a little puddle compared to this." She said rather proudly. In fact it gave Victini a run for her money. I immediately knew that would grind Kubo's gears.

But it was then that Manaphy turned to me, a thoughtful expression back on her face. In fact she almost looked... worried?

"Are you sure you're okay to come with us?" She asked me gently. I frowned. But before I could speak, Kubo protested.

"What do you mean? Of course he can!" Kubo crossed his arms with a suspicious glare at her.

Manaphy hummed, not at all reassured by his insistence. She didn't even look away from me as she spoke. "It's just... as you go deeper into the sea, it becomes darker and much colder too. You can tell just by looking at it, can't you?"

I took another look down into the abyss. At my side I could see Victini and Hunter following my gaze. As far as we could see, there was nothing but total darkness. It was intimidating, but... I had to do what was necessary to help protect this world. So I turned back to her. "What about it would trouble me specifically? I got this far, didn't I?"

She nodded but she worried her lip nervously. "Yes, but... well, you see, you're a grass type, so you have some plant cells in your body."

I frowned. What did that have to do with anything?

Victini seemed to want to voice a similar confusion. "Plant cells? Whassat mean?"

Manaphy shook her head, the two antennae on her head swaying back and forth rhythmically. "It means that a part of you is reliant on sunlight for energy." She had seemed to have a bit of a lighter disposition before, but now she was deadly serious. "The light from the sun can barely reach into the twilight zone- and even deeper- in the midnight zone deep within the Bottomless Sea, there is no light at all... it can be deadly for a grass type like you, even more than the cold."

"I see..." I looked back down into the darkness again. "But the trip can't be that long. I'm sure I won't run out of energy by then, especially with Victini with me." I mused out loud to myself. Manaphy heard my words, and made a loud hmph! sound.

I turned to find her with her own arms crossed and a pout on her face similar to Kubo. She huffed at me. "Don't you get what I'm saying! I want you to be safe! You could get yourself killed down there!"

"Surely it can't be that bad," Snowflake piped up gently. She shot a worried glance at me before looking back to Manaphy, who only huffed again.

"It is! You have to- aha!" Her eyes lit up with sudden zeal, and pointed her arm towards something behind me. I jumped and turned to find a chinchou swimming by a few meters away. He seemed to have emerged from the abyss. Manaphy excitedly got up and swam over to him. "Hey! Hey Chinchou! I need your opinion on something!" She called, and the water-type paused at the sound of her voice.

"Coral? Is that you?" He asked incredulously. It appeared that they knew each other. Was Coral a nickname of hers..?

I followed after her, dragging Victini along, and I found that the rest of the team had decided to follow suit as well. Manaphy was excitedly asking Chinchou's opinion about how dangerous the Bottomless Sea was. I narrowed my eyes and found myself flushing in embarrassment. she didn't need to involve an outside in this...

"...and so these explorers think it's important to go down there-"

"Oh?" Chinchou interrupted her rambling. "Explorers?" He asked. with Manaphy's confused nod, he turned to us. "Are any of you from Serperior's guild by any chance? My sister is a recruit there."

"Oh!" Hunter announced excitedly. "We're from there, we met her!"

"Ah! How exciting! Is she doing well-?"

"Chinchouuuuu!" Manaphy interrupted him with a childish whine. "There's no time! You gotta tell them that it's too dangerous for Moss to go!"

He eyed her curiously for a moment before looking back to us. His gaze fell on me quickly. "I assume you're Moss?" he asked. I nodded. He inspected me thoughtfully, his fins fluttering more casually. "Well, it's true that it CAN be quite deadly for grass types down there. I remember my sister told me a story about how she lost her lotad teammate, because of a mission they tried to do down there."

"Really? Oh gosh, I'm sorry..." Snowflake eyed him sadly but he shook his head.

"It's alright... these things can happen, and I never met her, anyway... but- she was very determined to prove herself, so she went down into the Bottomless Sea with my sister and two others." He paused seriously, trying to think on what else had happened. "It's not like they weren't prepared... but when they went in, my sister noticed that Lotad had begun to move slower and slower, even though she hadn't been in any battles yet. She seemed like she was a bit dizzy too, but they all just assumed it was because of the chill or the change in water pressure."

"Water pressure?" Hunter tilted his head.

Chinchou nodded by bobbing his whole body up and down slightly. "Yes. It can get rather heavy down there. It can crush you if you're not careful, so descending and ascending needs to be done slowly."

"I see..." His ears folded back uncomfortably at the sound of that.

"So they kept going, until they got into a fight... Lotad stayed back and didn't participate in the fight- but when they won, they realized that they had no idea where she was anymore." He paused in his story as Sakura whispered a soft 'oh no..' before he continued again. "It was very dark, but lucky they were able to find her with the help of my sister. But.. all they could find was her body, which floated there frozen and wilted... When they took her back to the surface, she unthawed, but it was already too late for her..." He finished his tale, and following his words, we all sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry..." Sakura said, and I turned to see her head was downturned. She hadn't spoke at all during this whole ordeal, and I could now see why. She was shaking slightly. "That's so terrible..."

"Ah- uhm... no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you-" Chinchou choked in discomfort at seeing the skitty upset. "It's my sister's story to tell, not mine..."

"No, it's alright," Snowflake said softly, "we appreciate your input... it's important we know what we're getting ourselves into..." she turned to me and frowned nervously. I could already tell what she was going to say. "Moss.. maybe you really shouldn't go..."

"Yeah," Hunter added nervously.

"Are you sure you want to come?" Sakura asked. I frowned at her anxious expression. They were all really concerned for me, weren't they...

"Come on guys, you don't know Moss if you think he'd ever back down." Kubo said, swimming up to me and wrapping an arm around my neck. He grinned down at me. "Right?"

I couldn't bring myself to return his grin. I could feel a twisting in my gut at his words. The thought of going down into that dark place, where they wouldn't even be able to find me... I could feel my heart begin to race but I quelled it with a deep breath. It discomforted me that I had to breathe in water and not air, but it did help a little. No matter how frightened I was... it was my duty to help save this world. It was what Lunala brought me here for...

I nodded at Kubo. "Right."

My friends all wilted worriedly. "But Moss..." Hunter murmured.

"No, it's alright." Manaphy said suddenly. We all turned to her in confusion. Huh? Where did this sudden change in attitude come from?

Manaphy swam up to Chinchou, a bright grin on her face. "I think Moss can easily get down there, and there would be no risk to him at all!"

Chinchou stared at her in confusion for a moment... before a look of realization came over him. "WHAT? No Coral, no way, absolutely not! Last time I told you, never again!"

"But Chinchouuuu!" She whined, "just this once!"

"No! Besides, its not like the rest of of them are better off! Land pokemon just shouldn't be going down there," he said. He was scowling rather indignantly, I couldn't help but wonder what had him so upset. "Down there, pokemon don't use their eyes to navigate. They'd all get lost down there. Plus, only the Froakie and Vulpix would be able to handle the cold, I'm sure." He looked over the lot of us, and his gaze fell upon Lunala. He gulped nervously, "and her too, perhaps..."

Lunala tilted her head at his reaction. "Hmmm..." Her gaze drifted to Mesprit. "When I was a Cosmog, I was able to feel cold... you remember, don't you Mesprit?" She asked softly.

Mesprit, who had been thoughtfully watching the exchange, suddenly blinked to life at being addressed. "Oh! Huh? What do you mean, Lunala?" She blinked up at her with wide eyes.

"Well, don't you remember how you used to keep me warm? You always made sure I was comfortable..."

"OH my gosh! Ah- I've been so stupid! You're so right!" She waved her arms excitedly for a moment before turning to Azelf. "Azelf! We can create barriers around our bodies! We could keep our body heat from escaping! And the others too!"

"Oh..." Victini piped up, her hands clutched around my arm. "Can I do that too?"

"Of course! Aha!" Mesprit twirled excitedly. "Now the cold won't be so much of a bother! So there, Chinchou, you can't stop us from going! Got any other rites of passage for us to take?"

Chinchou grumbled irritably. His mood really had soured once Manaphy mentioned.. whatever it was she had wanted from him. "That doesn't change the fact that Moss needs sunlight!" Manaphy insisted, swimming up to Chinchou and flashing some big doll eyes at him. "Pleaseeee! Just once, I promise!"

"Ah..." To my shock, her cutesy face seemed to be doing the job, as he was proverbially sweating bullets at the moment. He scrunched up his face in an attempt to hide how flustered he was. "Oh, alright. Alright!" Her face lit up at his words. "BUT!" He cut in before she could start to cheer excitedly. "...but, it's only because you are my friend. You owe me."

"Hehe~!" Manaphy giggled excitedly, rubbing her hands together. "Yes! Thank you so much, Chinchou~!"

He huffed and grumbled in annoyance at whatever it was she wanted from him, and didn't respond to her thanks. Instead he swam over to me, and eyed me in irritation.

"Listen up, kid." He addressed me coldly and I felt the need to bristle. Who's he calling kid! "It's obvious you won't be able to survive down there, even if your friends can keep your body from getting any colder. It's the lack of sunlight that'll take you out." I frowned. Where was he going with this..? "So... since my body is perfectly adapted to the Bottomless Sea, you can borrow it while you're down there. But if anything happens to me, I swear I WILL find you..." He eyes me coldly.

I shook my head. What? What was he talking about?? "Wait- your body? What- how can I take it-?"

"Like this, of course~!" Manaphy sang happily, swimming up to me and Chinchou.

The two antenna on Manaphys head split apart, reaching out horizontally towards both Chinchou and I. A red glow began to emit from the rounded ends. One pressed against my chest, and I looked down at it in confusion. What was she doing...?

I blinked... and then she drew the antenna away. The glow faded away, and she brought her two antenna together up above her head again. I frowned. "Uhm... What was that supposed to do?" I asked curiously.

Snowflake gasped. At the sudden sound of her voice, I quickly turned to look over at her. Every member of the team was watching me, looking back and forth between me and... I looked to the side. Huh?

Across from me, instead of having Chinchou glaring back at me, it was... myself!?

I jumped and hastily looked down at myself. My body was round and blue- and I hadn't noticed it previously, but my vision seemed a bit poorer too. I had small fins and little lanterns hanging down over my face. "H-huh? What's this? What's happening!?" I swam around in a circle before looking back at the Other Me, who had now crossed his arms and pouted in annoyance.

"Coral! You didn't even explain anything to him!" My own body called to her.

"Oh hush, you!" Manaphy giggled and swam up to me grabbing me between her hands. "Calm down Moss, relax! Hehehe, I have an ability called Heart Swap! It means I can body swap any two pokemon for a little while!"

"Wha..." I could hardly believe what I was hearing. So that was her plan?

I looked to everyone else and they all seemed equally shocked. Snowflake swam up to me, tilting her head curiously. I had been looking at Chinchou only moments ago, but I couldn't help but wonder how I looked to her in this body. "Well... I suppose this is the safest way for you to come with us..."

Manaphy laughed again and Chinchou swam up to me as well, although it took him a lot more effort to do so in my body. "Don't worry about your body. I'll wait right here for you when you get back. Then we can swap back. Okay?" He seemed rather used to this by now. I wondered how often Manaphy had swapped him, and for what reasons. But I supposed now wasn't the time to ask.

I nodded. "Okay... will I be able to figure out how to use your body?"

He nodded. "It shouldn't take you too much time to figure it out. But I will say- try to rely on your other senses, besides your eyes... you have those lights as back up. Okay?"

I nodded again. I very suddenly felt very in over my head.

"Well, there's no more time to lose! We gotta go save Tapu Fini!" Manaphy sang excitedly. She swam over the edge of the cliff and did a little backflip in the open water. "Let's go, explorers!"

I looked to Snowflake nervously, and she smiled gently. "I'll keep a close eye on you.." I smiled back, feeling my nerves fade slightly. At least my friends would take care of me...

We said goodbye to Chinchou, who sat my body behind a large rock that stood out rather clearly. Thankfully, this way there was no way we would forget where he was. He waved boredly as we set off, swimming over the edge of the cliff after Manaphy.

I couldn't help but feel more anxious now. How was I going to do this with a new body? Swimming was already easier, but...

"Okay guys! Say goodbye to the sun~!" She looked up and waved up at the sunrays streaming down from the surface. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. He huffed and crossed her arms. "Lighten up, guys... I always do that, cause it'll be a while until you see it again."

Following her words, we all looked between ourselves uncomfortably. Hunter seemed afraid, and Sakura was surprisingly pretty nervous now too. Kubo seemed more annoyed than anything, but Snowflake, Mesprit, Azelf and Lunala all had serious looks on their faces. They were ready to do what they needed to. Victini... When I looked at her, I couldn't help but frown. She looked up at the sunlight, a worried look on her face. Something about that expression told me she was saying goodbye in her head.

"Don't worry, Moss," Snowflake's words drew my attention back to her, "stick with me, okay?"

I couldn't help but smile warmly at that. I nodded. She smiled back, and then we took our first plunge into the darkness of the abyss.

Manaphy guided us the entire way down. As we went further and further down, we passed by a few frillish, an octillery, a huntail, a lumineon, and a fully evolved lanturn. Each of them waved amicably at Manaphy as we passed- and the lanturn even mistakenly waved at me. I flushed as Manaphy explained my situation to them. It seemed that the few pokemon that were still hanging around this place all knew one another...

As we descended farther and farther down, though, I noticed a strange change that began to come over Manaphy. To my side, I could hear Hunter gasp as he noticed it as well. The red spot on her stomach began to glow, slightly... or perhaps only now in the increasing darkness was I able to see it. Similarly, the yellow spots of her body began to glow softly as well. Even when she was looking away as she lead us into the ever darkening void of the ocean, I could still see the soft glow through her body. How strange... it was almost like I could see through her...

"How much farther is it?" Kubo's voice cut through the suffocating silence of our descent. Although.. the water pressure itself was also slowly growing more suffocating. Chinchou's body seemed to be able to handle it well enough, but... I worried about my friends. I looked back and found Kubo looking around in concern. He was clearly growing uncomfortable with the seemingly endless depths. "If it's too far down.." Kubo continued to say, but trailed off nervously.

I knew what he meant to say, though, and by the anxious shuffling of my friends, it was clear they did too. The water breathing berries could only last us so long, and we only had so many of them...

Manaphy paused for a moment to turn and look at us. "It won't be too far now. And don't worry- there's air in the shrine.' Kubo flinched at her words as she made everyone's anxieties known. A heavy silence followed her words and she huffed. "Oh, relax. Now come on!"

She turned and began to lead us along again. It was getting darker and darker the further we went. I looked around at my friends to see how they were faring.

Hunter and Sakura were to my left, while Snowflake and Kubo were to my right. Mesprit and Azelf trailed behind a bit with Lunala, and I could see Mesprit was saying something to her. Perhaps casually chatting with her... but I could hardly hear what she was saying. In the darkness, her eyes glowed that soft amber light again, and so did Azelf's... I couldn't help but shudder a bit at the sight, so I turened my gaze away. It took a moment to spot Victini, who was also trailing back with Lunala, but rather than swimming up close to her face, she was out next to her large crescent wings. She seemed nervous, which was still odd to me... but since she was protecting herself with her psychic powers now, I was relieved to see she wasn't trembling in the cold anymore.

"This place... it's so strange..." Sakura murmured softly. Hunter and I turned to her curiously. She ducked her head nervously, but continued. "It feels so... isolated. Even though this is open ocean.. I can't see anything! It's almost like being stick in a small dark room..."

Hunter nodded in an almost solemn way. "Yes... even for me- I can barely see anything.." We continued on in silence for a moment before a small grin began to grow on his face. He looked to Sakura with a smirk.

Sakura frowned. "What?"

"Are you saying you don't know the water as much as you said you did? I thought you were a pro," he said rather smugly.

Sakura and I gaped at him. Was that... was Hunter actually capable of teasing?

"Hey!" Sakura finally managed her composure enough to respond. "This has nothing to do with whether its underwater or not! Even if this was us walking deep underground or something! It's not fun being stuck in the darkness!"

"For you maybe!" Hunter cut back.

Sakura flushed. "Weren't you just agreeing with me about it a minute ago?"

He deflated at that, and I almost wanted to encourage him to keep it up. He actually had some confidence there for a second! "Yeah, I was... this isn't a kind of darkness I'm used to, is all..."

"Riiiight," Kubo chimed in with a teasing grin, "but the rest of us? We're all totally used to it, aren't we?"

"Kubo, leave him be," Snowflake chided him, "you've been a real brat today, you know that?"

"Today? Aren't I always a brat in your eyes?" He turned back to grin cockily at Victini. "aren't I, Vivi?.... Vivi?" He paused. I stopped as well, and looked back at him.

"What is it?"

"Where's Vivi?" Kubo asked, a worried frown darkening his expression. "She was right behind us a moment ago, wasn't she?"

"Victini? Victini!" I called out to her, looking to Lunala for any sigh of her. But at my gaze, Lunala only blinked in concerned confusion. "Oh no... Manaphy!"

I called for Manaphy to wait, and her softly glowing body was easy to see through the darkness. She stopped and turned around. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"It's Victini, I think she's gotten lost!" I cried.

"Oh dear..." She quickly swam back behind us, "oh, I'm so stupid... I didn't think it would be a problem...! Victini!" She cupped her mouth and called out into the darkness. Then she quickly turned back to me.

"Moss!" Manaphy cried and swam up to me, grabbing one of the glowing lamp antenna's that sprouted from my head.

"Ow!" I yelped.

"Moss, you need to come with me! We'll find her much quicker with you in front, come ON!" She yanked at me painfully and I had no choice but to swim after her. We all began to go back, but I had to lead. I still wasn't confident, but there were more important things to worry about. "Victini! Are you there?" I called. The lamps hanging from my head illuminated every little particle in the water.

"Victiniiiii!" Manaphy swam back and forth energetically through the line of sight I gave us, and Kubo joined her.

"Vivi! Where are you!"

I strained myself to see. Chinchou's body had weaker eyes than mine were- how did that make any sense? What was the point of the lights then!?

Ah, I remembered now.. Chinchou had said that I should use my other senses besides my eyes... but how?

I shut my eyes as I continued to swim. What was I supposed to sense? Could I hear her? No, everything was too muffled besides the cries of my friends... Could I smell her? Ever since we came underwater, I felt like I couldn't smell anything...

And that's when I felt it... a slight shift in the water. Up until now, the waters in the Bottomless Sea had been mostly still, with the slight shifts here and there. But this... felt more isolated. I stopped, forceing everyone else to stop as well.

"Moss! What are you doing! We have to keep looking!" Kubo stopped his calling to scold me. I opened my eyes and looked at him seriously.

"I think I found her- she's to my left!" I said.

"You're left..?" Manaphy frowned. She tapped her chin worriedly before zipping off into the darkness.

"Wha- Manaphy!" Kubo jumped in alarm.

We waited with bated breath, anxiously wondering how far she'd go before coming back. It felt like the water pressure was intensifying the longer we waited. The darkness around us was becoming suffocating. I hoped dearly that I had been right...

"...I found her!" Manaphy's distant voice called back.

We all sighed a breath of relief. That breath caught in our throats, however, as Manaphy came back into the light with Victini in her arms.

Victini looked awful. She was unconscious, completely limp- her fingers, toes, and the tips of her ears were blue. I couldn't tell, but in the small, yellow light my body gave off... she looked pale and sickly.

"Oh, no..." Sakura breathed in horror. Hunter looked at Sakura and back at Victini anxiously. He seemed speechless.

"What are we going to do?!" Snowflake said, "we're not at the shrine yet and we're so far under water now..!"

"Don't worry!" Manaphy gripped Victini tight in her arms. "We're not far from the shrine! Come on! We just have to find it!"

She swam off in the original direction again, and the rest of us couldn't do much other than follow her. What were we going to do? Victini was supposed to be regulating herself, what happened..? She should've been fine! Oh, why didn't I keep sticking together with her like we had been...

We came up to a rocky wall, which I could only see once my lights lit up its rough black surface. Manaphy was zipping up and down its surface, feeling around with her free hand for something. "It's gotta be- it's gotta be here...!"

"Wait!" A voice that hadn't spoken up in a long time cut Manaphy short, and we all turned in shock. It was Azelf, and he was now swimming up to Manaphy, a cold, serious look in his eyes. He reached one a hand out to Manaphy. "Give Victini to me." He said shortly.

"H-huh?" Manaphy blinked up at him. despite her confusion, she did as he told her.

"Hey!" Kubo was inclined to protest, but Hunter grabbed his arm before he could swim up to them. I watched closely as Azelf reached a hand into his bag, shifted through it until he pulled something from it.

The Solar Stone glowed brightly, a shimmering, glittery yellow colour. It was warm and soothing just to look at it. It glowed like a tiny sun, illuminating the area a lot more than my two lamps did. Azelf cradled Victini in his arms and placed the Solar Stone into Victini's lap. He took her hands and folded them over it.

"What is...?" Manaphy furrowed her brow curiously, but her question faded as Victini groaned.

"Ah-!" We all gasped in anticipation as her eyes slowly slid open.

"Mmmhh..." She mumbled. Her gaze was first drawn to the stone, but she seemed dizzy and unfocused. She stared into the soft yellow light for a moment before she attempted to look around, but her eyes didn't lock onto anybody. Nobody, that is, until she sighed tiredly, her head limply falling back into Azelf's bracing arm, and looked up into his glowing yellow eyes. She stared up at him blankly, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something. But nothing came out.

"Don't let go of the stone." Azelf said softly, yet his tone was still serious, "Hold it tight, and don't let go... Try to stay awake, okay?"

She didn't visibly respond, but she did continue to stare up at him. It seemed staring at him was keeping her from losing her focus, at least.

Azelf looked up at the rest of us. "We should get going. She's stable now, but we need to get her out of the water."

Manaphy gasped, and nodded. "Right! I'm on it!"

Less frantically this time, Manaphy began feeling against the wall for whatever hidden mechanism it was she needed to find. I watched Azelf and Victini closely as we followed her. Azelf kept his eyes on her. He stared down at her, and not once did she look away. His gems were glowing a vibrant red in the darkness, as well... how long had they been doing that? I hadn't noticed. Victini hadn't seemed to notice, she was only interested in his bright amber eyes. I wondered how aware Victini really was... she seemed so out of it.

"You're going to be fine now..." Azelf murmured to her gently, and to my surprise, he smiled a little at her encouragingly. She blinked slowly at that.

"What's the Solar Stone doing?" Snowflake asked softly as Mesprit came up to swim beside us. I turned to see Mesprit smiling in relief.

She crossed her arms with a sigh. "The Solar Stone represents the power of the sun... a fire pokemon like her relies on the sun for her energy... it's likely that in all our worry about you, we didn't realize she'd be affected the same way." Mesprit grinned wryly and she turned to me. I flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry..."

"No, it's alright.." Mesprit's smile grew more genuine at my apology. "We thought she could handle it. But it seems she needs the sunlight just as much as you do..."

We looked back at Azelf, and watched as Victini mumbled wordlessly again.

"Here, it's here!"

Manaphy pressed her hand into a small crevice in the rock and shut her eyes... her softly glowing body began to glow brighter for a moment, and then the wall began to glow as well. A strange pattern began to glow a pale blue on the wall under her hand. The pattern reminded me of the markings that had covered the other tapu's shells. It shimmered brightly in the darkness. "Woah.." Kubo gasps softly at the sight. Manaphy grinned at him slightly before giving it a push, and the wall moved in, opening up like a large door. Lunala tilted her head.

"It'll be a tight squeeze..."

"Are you sure you'll fit?" Mesprit asked her worriedly.

Lunala nodded. "Yes, I think so..'

Azelf quickly shoved passed Manaphy and shot quickly into the tunnel that followed. "Ah!" Manaphy gasped and blinked after them. She seemed annoyed at getting shoved before shaking her head. Why wouldn't he be urgent? "Well.. we should follow him!" She smiled at us and waved for us to come along.

Quickly, but less urgent, we went in after Azelf. It wasn't any darker within the cave than outside it, but it still felt discomforting to be inside. My lamps illuminated the walls, and with that we could see how polished and smooth the walls were. There were pillars and etchings carved into the walls, the same as the glowing pattern we had seen on the door.

Finally the cave opened up, reaching tall above out heads, but not quite as large as Tapu Bulu's cavern had been. And to my shock- there was actually air in there! the main floor of the shrine rose up almost above the water, just barely leaving a shallow pool for any water type that might want to traverse the area. But the building itself stood tall out of the water, with the occasional drop of water dripping down from the ceiling. The room echoed melodically, and each drip was a loud ring.

I swam up and peeked out of the water. A pillar had been knocked over, probably from the Ultra Beasts. The place was more than a little run down. Azelf had decided to make perch on top of the fallen pillar. It seemed to be the only dry place in the whole cavern. He still had Victini in his lap, and the Solar Stone was still held between her hands. He turned to look at us as we arrived.

"How is she?" Manaphy asked, walking up into the shallow pool and standing her upper torso out of the water. everyone else followed her, but Lunala remained in the deeper pool. Lunala was still half submerged yet she still towered over us.

"She's okay." Azelf said back calmly, "she might still need a moment to recover."

Snowflake nodded at that, and looked around. I joined her, and found that for once, we were completely alone. No Ultra Beasts were hiding in here, waiting to attack us. I couldn't describe the relief I felt.

"Does anyone see Tapu Fini anywhere?" Mesprit asked, pulling me from my thoughts. Oh right...

"What does she look like? Do you know?" Snowflake turned to Manaphy curiously.

Manaphy shrugged. "Kind of? ...But I know she has patterns on her, like the ones on the walls!" She pointed to the intreseting triangular shapes.

I could tell from Snowflakes reaction that she had also gathered this already. "Well.. let's get looking." She nodded at the rest of us and we started off. Well- THEY started off. I was restricted to the shallow pool in this dumb body.

Not that I didn't have feet- I most certainly did- but I was not anywhere near good enough at using them to be able to walk on them. I had tried to step out of the water, but after Kubo laughed at my feeble attempts, I decided I would be better off just watching.

Instead of thinking about ways to get back at him for that, I turned my attention back to Azelf and Victini.

The warm glow of the Solar Stone helped illuminate the room, which I was thankful for. It would have been dreadfully dark in here otherwise, with the only other light coming from the portal, which left a chilling blue light shining out from inside the building of the shrine. The light from the orb also made it quite easy to see how Victini was doing. She sat curled up in Azelf's lap, her hands pressed gently against the surface of the stone. She continued to stare up at Azelf, but her eyes were less wide and captivated. Instead she seemed a bit more... relaxed.

"Mmhh..." She mumbled softly, "mmh wh-where.. where am I..?" she asked breathlessly. Nobody else in the room seemed to notice her soft question. They were all to busy in their search. But I did.

And so did Azelf. "We found Tapu Fini's shrine. Soon.. you will be back in proper sunlight." He said, and his voice was once again much softer than he usually seemed to be. "You are safe," he concluded with a small nod.

Victini smiled, her mouth slightly open. "We.. did it? Ahh... we're heroes~..! See... I told you I always make sure we win..." She giggled weakly, and coughed wetly for her trouble.

"Ah, hush... you're not quite ready to talk yet." Azelf shook his head, but now that Victini was awake, there was not going to be any stopping her. I barely restrained my grin as she began to struggle in his grip.

"No..! I'm fine- I gotta get up...!' She squirmed in his grip, twisting to the side. She almost dropped the Solar Stone- but Azelf quickly grasped it instead. With him now distracted, Victini was free to slip from his arms. She kicked at him with her feet weakly as she tried to scramble away. "I'm a heroooo~!" She giggled, sitting up with much effort.

"Ack-!" He choked at her kicks. "Victini- don't you know when to stay down?" He frowned at her, and I couldn't help but be shocked at the concerned, yet annoyed look on his face.

"Nope~" Victini giggled again.

"I found her!"

Hunter's voice called out to us, and I quickly turned to him. He stood over a pile of rubble, and pointed down into it with his paw. "She got buried a bit!" He said.

Manaphy, Snowflake, Mesprit, Kubo and Sakura all rushed over to him. They scrambled to lift and roll away the broken rocks and damp mud that had buried the guardian. I couldn't see so well from my position, but it was definitely her- and she was completely in tact. She looked almost like a human woman, it if weren't for the strange shell and the lack of legs...

"Lemme seeeeee! I wanna seeeee!" Victini whined, and I looked back over to them to find Azelf had now looped an arm around her torso to keep her from flying away. She squirmed and wiggled in his grasp, but was too weak to budge him now.

"Do not worry... I can take care of it..." Lunala said, and I watched as she smiled at Victini kindly, before her eyes began to glow. She looked towards Tapu Fini, and then the hidden third eye on her head appeared, and glowed brightly as well. Cracks began to crawl over the surface of the statue, and my friends all backed away from it. It began to glow, and as the glowing increased, snaps and cracks began to pop out of the figure.

Slowly, slowly the cracks grew larger, and the sounds grew louder, and finally with a large BURST! of energy, the light exploded out, and we all had to hide our eyes. It was blinding the darkness of the ruins. Then, after a moment of silence, we all lifted out heads back up towards Tapu Fini.

She was hovering there, all on her own. She was free.

"Uhm... hello, Tapu Fini..." Manaphy waved awkwardly up at her, "nice to.. finally meet you..."

Tapu Fini blinked, and looked down at her. She stared back, not saying a word, before turning her gaze to my friends. They all shrunk a little under her gaze, except Mesprit, who was smiling rather excitedly back at her. Tapu Fini blinked at her for that, before extending her gaze over to me, Azelf and Victini. Victini waved dazedly.

"Tapu Fini..." Lunala spoke softly, and the Tapu's eyes immediately shot over to her. "you know what has happened, don't you...? And what you must do..."

Tapu Fini frowned, but once again said nothing. Then, hesitantly, she nodded. Lunala smiled at that. I wondered what unspoken agreement they had...

Tapu Fini turned, and quickly zipped into her shrine. We watched from the outside as the bright blue glow was suddenly cut short, as Tapu Fini shut the portal. I grinned to myself at the realization.

We... we had done it! We finally closed all the portals!

It had taken so long, and it had been so much work, but we did it! I accomplished what I was meant to do!

It was then that Tapu Fini reemerged from the shrine. She looked around at all of us again, before shooting away again, but this time she went up and splashed into the deep pool of water. "Ah!" Manaphy gasped. "She- she's leaving? Without saying anything?!"

"I wanted to say hiiiiii!" Victini lamented pathetically.

"It's to be expected," Lunala said gently, "she's in a great rush to get back to her fellow Tapu's. There is much work still for them to do."

Sakura frowned at that, as they all slowly made their ways back over to the pool of water that I waded in. "What about us? What are we left to do?"

"Well... there are still many beasts that remain here," Lunala said, "and I do not believe Necrozma will give up so easily... we will need to be cautious."

Sakura nodded. "Right..."

"Oh, cheer up, guys! We just accomplished something great and you're already lookin' at the next thing?" Kubo laughed. "Come on, now! Let's all just celebrate a second, huh?"

"Hehe.. perhaps you're right, Kubo..." Snowflake smiled at him softly, "...for once."

Kubo gasped indignantly, "what're you talking about- I'm always right!"

She grinned, and I couldn't help but smile as well. "No, she's right." I added.

"You stay OUT of this!!" Kubo glared at me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

It wasn't too much longer later that we began to make our own way back out of the shrine. Manaphy informed us of an easy exit- a one way path that Tapu Fini would use in order to get out of her shrine with ease. It was a tunnel underneath the water that had a very strong directional current- and so it wasn't too much longer before we were making our way out of the Bottomless Sea.

When we arrived at the top of the precipice again, we found Chinchou waiting there for us, still in my body. I was relieved to see nothing had happened to me. Manaphy switched us back, and I couldn't help but cheer in relief at having my familiar little body back. I hadn't even realized how comfortable I had gotten in this body... it felt definitively mine.

It was then, however, than Chinchou mentioned having shifted through my bag in search of another underwater berry, when he was still waiting for us. It was then that he found that TM I had been too confused to use on myself. "I decided to go ahead and learn it, just for you," he said with a smirk, and I couldn't help but wonder if he had done that as a way to get back at me.

"What did you- HOW did you-?" I was understandably flustered. How was I even supposed to use it?

"You can thank me later," was all he said, before he gave a friendly goodbye to Manaphy and swam away.

I decided that I did not much like him.

Still- once we had finally made our way back to the beach, and dried ourselves off, Victini was finally able to move around again on her own. Watching her jump and twirl excitedly in the air, and feeling my own comfortable fluffy body back... it was hard to be upset about the circumstances. I sat back with Snowflake and Hunter by my side, resting by Lunala's large wing as we watched Victini express her hatred for water. ..And then we watched as Kubo and Sakura chased her around, teasing her about it. She was laughing though, so I could tell she didn't mind. Azelf watched her closely and carefully though, making sure she didn't get herself hurt. I had to smile at that.

Manaphy said goodbye to us, wishing us well and thanking us for the adventure. Mesprit thanked her in return for her help. "Oh, it's no problem at all! I mean it DID get a bit scary halfway in there, but you guys did save me too! I won't forget it!" Manaphy smiled, and said her goodbyes.

I felt rather odd as I watched everyone.

We had done it... We had finally accomplished all we had intended to do...

So why did it feel like we weren't anywhere close to being finished?


End file.
